China rejects OpenAI’s GPT-5 trademark bid, here's why

OpenAI’s attempt to register “GPT-5” as a trademark in mainland China has been rejected by the country’s Trademark Office, under the China National Intellectual Property Administration. The filing, made through subsidiary OpenAI OpCo, is now pending appeal, according to a report by South China Morning Post.

The decision adds to a series of rejections for the San Francisco-based AI company. Between March and November 2023, Chinese regulators denied applications to trademark “ChatGPT” and various GPT model names, including GPT-4, GPT-5, GPT-6, and GPT-7. All remain under appeal, as per the report.

The refusal mirrors OpenAI’s struggles elsewhere. In February 2024, the US Patent and Trademark Office turned down applications for “ChatGPT” and “GPT,” ruling that the terms merely describe features or functions of the products, rather than serving as distinctive brand identifiers.

In China, the descriptive nature of “GPT” — shorthand for generative pre-trained transformer, a widely used type of large language model — makes it particularly difficult to secure as a trademark, according to Beijing-based corporate IP expert Wu Zheng. GPT models are foundational in training generative AI chatbots, and the acronym is already broadly used in the industry.