Huawei files to trademark mobile OS around the world after U.S. ban – Reuters
What happened: Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei is aiming to trademark its self-developed Hongmeng mobile operating system (OS), an alternative to Google’s Android OS, in at least nine countries and in Europe, according to data from the U.N. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The Shenzhen-based company has filed for a Hongmeng trademark in Cambodia, Canada, South Korea, and New Zealand, the data showed. The company also applied to trademark the OS at the European Union Intellectual Property Office on May 14, just around when it was blacklisted by the United States.
Why it’s important: Huawei has sped up Hongmeng’s roll out after it was locked out of future Android updates last month. The company had to revise a goal to become the biggest smartphone vendor by the end of the year because of the US blacklist. The promised OS is expected to be available on Huawei phones in the fall, but the company still faces challenges such as how to provide alternatives to Google services and build an app ecosystem to replace those that rely on Google. It is also reported that Huawei has shipped one million smartphones with the new OS onboard for testing.