Xiaomi

Founded in 2010 by entrepreneur Lei Jun, Xiaomi Corporation has rapidly become a major player in the global technology industry. The company initially gained recognition for its high-quality smartphones at affordable prices and later expanded its product portfolio to include a wide range of consumer electronics and smart home devices. Xiaomi's first trademark features the recognizable "Mi" symbol. This registration was a strategic move to protect the company's identity as it ventured into the competitive smartphone market.

Being an innovative technology company, Xiaomi actively monitors its trademarks to prevent infringement and unauthorized use. In 2020, Xiaomi successfully opposed the registration of the mark "Orange Mi" and the letters "cnmi" by Quanzhou Guangyu E-commerce Ltd. Xiaomi, known as a Chinese smartphone giant, cited its prior trademark registrations, including the iconic MI device, and its copyright in the MI logo. The opposition was based on the grounds that the opposed trademark demonstrated semantic correlation, a close association of goods, and an intentional attempt to imitate Xiaomi's trademarks. In a separate case in 2021, Xiaomi Technology Co. Ltd. secured a significant victory in a trademark infringement and unfair competition case against Shenzhen Xiaomi Co. Ltd. The dispute centered around the unauthorized use of trademarks by Shenzhen Xiaomi on 182 household appliances, which were sold online under names like Mi Digital Shop, Mi Shop, or Xiaomi. Xiaomi Technology, a major tech company, registered trademarks for Xiaomi, MI, Zhimi, and others. The defendant's online shops generated a substantial revenue of 154 million yuan over three years. The Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court ruled in favor of Xiaomi, imposing punitive damages of 37.4 million yuan, three times the profit made by Shenzhen Xiaomi through intentional trademark infringement.