Following the US government’s decision to add Huawei and its affiliates on a trade blacklist, the Chinese tech company looks all set to launch its own Operating System (OS), Hongmeng. According to a Reuters report, Huawei has already applied for a trademark for its OS in several countries.

Is this a backup plan to counter the US ban, which prevents it from doing business with Google, the makers of Android OS? According to Huawei’s Vice President of public affairs and communications, Andrew Williamson, “Huawei is in the process of potentially launching a replacement. Presumably we’ll be trying to put trademarks.”

According to data from UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Huawei has filed to trademark Hongmeng in Cambodia, Canada, Peru, South Korea and New Zealand. Huawei, while primarily known for telecom equipment and infrastructure, is also the world’s second-largest manufacturer of smartphones.