According to records on the website of the Trademark Office, under the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the US firm’s application through subsidiary OpenAI OpCo was denied and is pending appeal.
The Trademark Office’s recent refusal dealt another blow to San Francisco-based OpenAI’s efforts to protect its brand in the fast-developing and highly competitive AI industry.
In February 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office denied OpenAI’s applications to trademark ChatGPT and GPT. “Registration is refused because the applied-for mark merely describes a feature, function, or characteristic of applicant’s goods and services,” the regulator’s ruling said.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
