FierceMobileContent

Trademark latest obstacle for China iPhone deal

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:59:36 -0400

Apple's bumpy road to releasing the iPhone in the massive Chinese subscriber market appears to have hit another pothole: Chinese electronics firm Hanwang Technology Co. already owns the trademark "i-phone" for mobile handsets in China, and the similarity of the two brands would make it illegal to sell Apple's smartphone under its now-iconic name, according to Wang Hao, general manager of BSFD, a Beijing-based intellectual property law agency. IDG News Service reports that Apple applied to register the iPhone trademark in China in late 2002, but its application only covered computer hardware and software, not mobile devices--two years later, Hanwang (also known as Hanvon) applied to register the i-phone trademark in the category covering phone equipment, including mobile handsets, and later went on to market a device called i-phone. Wang notes that to sell its iPhone in China, Apple would need to broker an agreement with Hanwang or else apply for the China trademark office to revoke Hanwang's rights to the i-phone brand. A Hanwang spokesperson said the company has not yet been approached by Apple about the issue, nor has it learned of any attempts to revoke its trademark.

According to a mid-June research note published by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch analyst Cynthia Meng, Apple and operator China Unicom have "most likely reached a deal for an exclusive two-plus year agreement" that will result in the iPhone making its Chinese retail debut sometime in the fourth quarter of 2009. Crediting "industry checks" with the insider information, Meng adds that details on pricing or subsidies remain unknown, but contends that based on conversations with retailers and vendors, the current suggested U.S. retail prices of $99, $199 and $299 are "affordable for [a] majority of high-end subscribers."

IDG News Service previously reported a WCDMA-based Apple handset has appeared on the approved product list published on the Chinese State Wireless Inspection Center government-managed industry arbiter's website--the device, apparently an iPhone, was cleared in May 2009 to use its assigned frequency range for five years, the center notes. China Unicom operates a WCDMA network. In related news, the Apple website is advertising a Beijing-based job posting to supervise "iPhone training" across Asia--the position's duties include designing training for carrier partners that sell the iPhone.

Apple has said it hopes to begin selling the iPhone in China in the next year. Negotiations between the computing giant and China Mobile reportedly broke down after the two firms reached a stalemate over the sale and distribution of mobile applications. Citing a source with the China Mobile Research Institute, Interfax reported in February 2009 that China Mobile and Apple spent about 18 months hashing out an agreement to introduce the iPhone to Chinese consumers--during the first of three rounds of negotiations, Apple demanded between 20 percent and 30 percent of the operator's revenues from iPhone users, a stipulation rejected by China Mobile. After the companies returned to the bargaining table, Apple offered to sell iPhones to China Mobile at $600 per unit while stipulating that the carrier subsidize any iPhone service bundles offered to users--again, discussions broke down.

For more over the iPhone trademark questions:
- read this IDG News Service article

RIM touts forthcoming U2 "mobile album"

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:34:27 -0400

A teaser video posted on the BlackBerry website indicates that Research In Motion is poised to team with rock megastars U2 for the release of a forthcoming "mobile album." The BlackBerry site offers no other details on the content or scope of the project, but does offer consumers to sign up for notification when it is released.

Crackberry.com notes that RIM was initially rumored as the sponsor of U2's current world tour, which kicked off June 30 in Barcelona, but there was no indication of the BlackBerry corporate presence at the opening gig. U2 fan site @U2.com adds that several months back, band manager Paul McGuiness promised "new and innovative ways to enhance the mobile music experience on the BlackBerry platform for U2 fans," noting that RIM acquired a series of 107 domain names including blackberryu2.com, blackberryu2tickets.com and u2rim.com. The site also speculates that the mobile album is likely to include content from U2's latest release No Line on the Horizon as well as video clips, news and user-generated content sharing.

For more on the RIM/U2 collaboration:
- read this Crackberry.com article

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NTT DoCoMo rolling out mobile payments program

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:34:23 -0400

Japanese operator giant NTT DoCoMo announced it will launch a new mobile payments service enabling consumers to send money to fellow subscribers. The service, which launches July 21, allows DoCoMo's i-mode mobile web customers to remit up to 20,000 yen (about $208 U.S.) per transfer by inputting the recipient's mobile phone number--the recipient receives a mail notification via their DoCoMo handset, and is given the option of depositing the money in a domestic bank account or having the amount credited to their monthly phone bill. Subscribers can receive remittances totaling up to 200,000 yen (about $2,080 U.S.) per month. DoCoMo adds that the service does not require user registration or new bank accounts, noting that it envisions customers using the service as a means to take care of money matters with friends and acquaintances--for example, transferring money to a family member or settling up one's cost of a dinner with a group of colleagues. The service will not be available to corporate subscribers.

NTT DoCoMo notes it received approval from the Kanto Local Finance Bureau on June 30 to launch and operate the service as a bank agent on behalf of Mizuho Bank. While charges per payment (including consumption tax) will total 105 yen for the payer and 65 yen for the payee, the latter is not charged if the remittance is deposited into a Mizuho Bank account or credited to their monthly DoCoMo bill.

For more on the NTT DoCoMo payments program:
- read this release

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Apple's designer for life

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:13:25 -0400

Meet Jonathan Ive, the product designer behind the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone. Article

Visa acquires $13 million stake in Monitise

Jason Ankeny — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:43:54 -0400

Mobile banking solutions firm Monitise announced a five-year global strategic alliance agreement with payment and credit services giant Visa to develop a suite of mobile services, including payments, money transfers, transaction alerts and marketing offers. Per terms of the deal, Visa will acquire a 14.4 percent stake in Monitise valued at $13 million. Monitise services enable customers of multiple banks and mobile operators to perform banking and payment transactions directly from their handsets--the firm offers live services in the U.S. and the U.K. in partnership with Metavante and VocaLink. Its banking partners include HSBC, Lloyds TSB and Royal Bank of Scotland, while carrier partners include Vodafone, Orange, O2, T-Mobile and 3.

For more on the Monitise/Visa deal:
- read this release

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