Go Tokyo Your Experience
When mentioningiPhoneMany people may immediately think of the well-known smartphone series launched by Apple Inc. in the United States. Therefore, mentioningiPhoneThe ownership of the trademark naturally belongs to Apple Inc. However, this is not the case in Japan!
Recently, Japanese netizens have been discussingiPhoneThe trademark actually belongs to a communication equipment company in Japan.
Therefore, if Apple wants to use it in JapaniPhoneSelling products under the name requires paying high usage fees. Let’s explore this interesting phenomenon
If Apple wants to use the name ‘iPhone’ in Japan, it needs to pay an annual usage fee of up to 150 million yen to the similarly named electric motor company ‘AIPHONE’ located in Nagoya. Therefore, residents of Nagoya who buy iPhones are also contributing to their hometown (just kidding)
A Japanese user nicknamed ‘Shiratori Raido’ recently purchased a new one iPhone 16 ProHe found a fun note in the packaging manual of his mobile phone, so he shared the story behind this discovery online, which sparked a heated discussion among netizens!
”iPhoneThe trademark authorization comes from AIPHONE company
As the user stated, in fact, in Japan,iPhoneThe trademark does not belong to Apple Inc
When searching for Japanese trademark registrations, it can be found that ‘iPhoneThe trademark belongs to a Japanese company called ‘AIPHONE’.
This houseAIPHONE The company mainly manufactures communication equipment, especially famous for walkie talkies.
Apple Inc. was founded in 1976, while the history of “AIPHONE” can be traced back to 1948. At that time, the company began operating under the name of “Donghai Audio Electrical Research Institute” and quickly invested in the production of various communication equipment. In 1954, the company renamed its product line to “AIPHONE” and reorganized it as “AIPHONE” company in 1959.
AIPHONE has a much longer history than Apple!
Because the “AIPHONE” company has already been registered in Japan, includingiPhoneAs a result, Apple encountered trademark infringement issues when planning to launch its smartphones in Japan in June 2007. Apple must cooperate with “AIPHONE” to set trademark usage conditions, otherwise it may need to change its name before selling this smart product in Japan.
Finally, after consultation, both parties reached an agreement, makingiPhoneAvoiding the fate of changing names in Japan. However, how much licensing fee did Apple pay to AIPHONE? Both sides remain silent, but AIPHONE’s annual financial report shows a fixed amount of approximately 150 million yen in “licensing fee” revenue each year.
Although it cannot be determined that all revenue comes from Apple, this payment may be the highest amount paid by Apple to it.
In the financial report of “AIPHONE” company in March this year, the bottom shows an authorized revenue of 150 million yen.
Interestingly, when visiting the official website of Apple Japan and scrolling to the bottom of the homepage, you will see a line indicating:
The ‘iPhoneThe trademark is authorized by AIPHONE company
What’s even more interesting is that when visiting the Q&A page of the “AIPHONE” official website, people often mistakenly believe that the company is a manufactureriPhoneThe enterprise
Question: “MyiPhoneThere is a problem
Answer: “We are AIPHONE, a manufacturer of walkie talkies. RegardingiPhoneFor inquiries, please contact Apple Inc. or its retail stores
This company really has foresight!