Sony Interactive Entertainment sues Huawei, saying the latter's smartwatch cannot use the "GT" name

     Dutch technology blog LetsGoDigital reported that Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has filed a lawsuit against Huawei over the trademark issue of the "Watch GT" series of smartwatches because SIE does not want Huawei to use the "Gran Turismo" name.

　　Huawei has released many wearable devices over the years, and in addition to the regular lineup, the company has also launched the Watch GT series. "GT" refers to the Gran Turismo racing car, and the first Huawei Watch GT was released in 2018, followed by the Watch GT2 in 2019. Although Huawei released the Watch 3 series in June this year as the first smartwatch with HarmonyOS, no new GT models were launched.

　　However, Sony Interactive doesn’t like the name choice for the Huawei Watch and has sued Huawei, and these lawsuits are still ongoing, because Huawei has applied for some trademarks in Europe for future GT watches.

　　The story begins in 2015, when Huawei Technologies filed trademarks for "GT3" and "GT5" with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). Once a trademark is filed, it undergoes an evaluation, which means it takes some time to be approved. During this time, other parties may file objections to the trademark.

　　Sony Interactive first appealed in 2016, and then the company appealed again against Huawei's trademark application in 2019. During this period, Huawei Watch GT and Watch GT2 were launched.

　　No agreement was reached between the parties. In August this year, Sony initiated a new lawsuit, according to the official document released by the EU. The decision of the Fourth Chamber was overturned and a new investigation will now be conducted.

　　Gran Turismo generally refers to "GT Racing", a popular racing game series developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment on the PlayStation game console. Next year, "Gran Turismo 7", usually abbreviated as GT7, will be released. Sony believes that it has exclusive rights to the name "Gran Turismo". Huawei believes that the name "GT" cannot be claimed by Sony at all. Therefore, Huawei does not intend to give up its Watch GT series.

　　At the beginning of this week, Huawei also applied for the same trademark in the UK, because the UK is no longer part of the European Union. On September 27, 2021, Huawei Technologies applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) for trademarks with model numbers GT3, GT5, GT8 and GT10. The brand is listed as Class 9/14/35, and the description refers to watches and wearable devices. The application is still "under review."

　　It is still unknown how this pending lawsuit will end. However, it is not ruled out that the Watch GT3 will be released, and IT Home will keep an eye on it.