TCL's 'NXTFRAME' Raises Controversy
over Similarity to Samsung's 'The Frame'
Samsung Electronics won a trademark lawsuit against Chinese home appliance company TCL in Germany. As a result, TCL is prohibited from using the trademark for the product in Germany and other European regions.
According to industry sources on the 11th, Samsung Electronics filed a preliminary injunction lawsuit for trademark infringement against TCL's German branch at the D?sseldorf court in Germany last November, and the court ruled in favor of Samsung at the end of last month.
The disputed trademark is TCL's lifestyle TV 'NXTFRAME', which was first unveiled at IFA 2024, Europe's largest home appliance exhibition held in Berlin, Germany, last September. At that time, NXTFRAME sparked controversy for its similarity to Samsung Electronics' 'The Frame'.
Samsung Electronics' 'The Frame', released in 2017, features an 'Art Mode' that displays artworks such as paintings or photos when the power is off, along with a bezel designed like a picture frame and a slim-fit wall-mount design. Since NXTFRAME is known to have adopted a similar concept, the industry criticized TCL for unauthorized copying of Samsung's design and product concept.
After an oral hearing at the end of January this year, the German court judged that there is a possibility of confusion between the two products. Accordingly, TCL is prohibited from using the NXTFRAME trademark in Germany and the European Union.
The German law firm handling the lawsuit stated via social media (SNS), "TCL cannot use the NXTFRAME trademark when selling TVs in the European Union, either directly or through third parties."
Accordingly, TCL has changed the product name from NXTFRAME to A300W on sales websites in major European markets, including Germany and France.
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