Honeywell Wins Trademark Battle Before China's Supreme Court

The Supreme People's Court (SPC) of China recently ruled in favor of Honeywell, the leading global developer of automotive turbochargers, and Garrett, its global aftermarket turbocharger brand, in clarifying Chinese trademark law and rejecting a Chinese manufacturer's request to trademark "Galitt" due to the likelihood of confusion for consumers.


The SPC ruling brings to an end a nine-year legal battle Honeywell has pursued in China to protect its brand identity from a local turbocharger manufacturer. Honeywell successfully argued before China's highest court that the Garrett brand had acquired a high level of recognition through its 60-year history in global markets. Honeywell argued the local manufacturer was willfully acting in bad faith and trying to capitalize on the established Garrett brand with a similar sounding name and packaging closely copying Garrett design standards.


"This is a meaningful victory for Honeywell, for Garrett, and for consumers," said Jerry Xia, Honeywell's chief intellectual property counsel for North Asia. "Following several successful lower court rulings in other cases, this is a significant victory for Honeywell before China's Supreme Court. It reinforces China's desire to protect intellectual property rights of companies doing business in the country with registered brands and also the rights of consumers. By rejecting this type of behavior, consumers can select products with more confidence in intended performance, but also with regard to quality and safety."