'Kinon' was a brand of Farsharp Industrial Corporation (F10/1-4 No 162 Sec 5, Ming Sheng E. Rd Taipei) established in 1979. It attempted to register its distinctive marque as a trademark in the USA in 1986 and the “first use” of the marque was given in its application as February 1982.

But the Kinusa* Industrial Corporation of New Jersey had already applied for a trademark in 1984 using the identical graphics to Kinon**. That application received objection, probably from Farsharp, and both applications were eventually abandoned.

The "New Color Optical Lens" is plastic (by the omission of the word "glass"). Its other features suggest a date of manufacture beginning around 1984-5 and extending to 1986-7 when the new Meikai trademark was approved in the USA. It seems probable that it was made by Formosa Plastics Corporation.

This camera was also sold under the names: Akira TC-002, Carena 135, Gmtex GT-304, Ima, Itochi, Kalimar MX-2, Kinon FS-III, Maxim 888, Maxim, MF-101, Maxim MF-101X, Maximatic MF-101, Meikai 4351V, Oppex 7090, Silver LS001, etc .............

(see also Oppex 7090)

* 'Kinusa' = Kin + USA (?)

**Models with the offending marque include the Kinusa K-77 (made by FPC), the Kinusa K-700 (a Canon T50 imitation), and one often seen as the A.V. Lavec L-3. 

The brand was registered with a simple logo in 1983 in the USA by Farsharp Industrial Corporation, Taiwan. It was abandoned on April 17, 1986. It was re-registered by the same company on November 4, 1986, with the logo featuring the characteristic shutter-like dot over the "i" and the "o" in the center of which bears the image of an optical device. It was abandoned on March 9, 1990.

This brand was registered with the second logo in France in January 1988 by Ghislain Van Der Does. It covers photographic, cinematographic apparatus, and optical equipment, as well as devices for recording, transmitting, reproducing sound, images, or text and documents. The trademark has expired, presumably in 1990.