The Bluetooth Special Interest Group isn’t going to take it anymore-a at least that’s the message heard around the world as the group announced it orchestrated a successful raid in a Shenzhen, China, factory suspected of infringing on the Bluetooth SIG’s registered trademarks.
The Bluetooth SIG said the Bluebird Hi-Tech Co. Ltd. factory was manufacturing products bearing the Bluetooth trademark and logo without the authority of the Bluetooth SIG, which owns the trademark, and without going through the Bluetooth SIG’s qualification program.
The group said the raid, which was conducted with the full support of the Chinese government, uncovered more than 20,000 pieces of illegally tagged Bluetooth items, including headsets, user manuals, packaging, printed boxes and components.
The group said it’s educating and training Bluetooth manufacturers worldwide about its qualification program to improve conformance, testing and interoperability towards Bluetooth specifications.
“As in any country, the fight against IP and trademark infringement will be a long-term and challenging one. But one thing is certain; China is committed to the fight against IP and trademark infringement,” commented Daoxin Ou, head of trademark and advertisement at the Shenzhen Administration for Industry & Commerce’s Futian branch.
“This is vital to ensure the rights of authorized Bluetooth products and other kinds of products from other manufacturers, and for the continued innovation of great new products that originate from China.”
The issue is notable as China has long been a trouble spot for trademark and patent infringements.
