One of China’s most recognizable digital sounds is now protected under the country’s intellectual property law after a lengthy legal battle.

The Beijing Intellectual Property Court ruled on Thursday that the audio notification on instant messaging service QQ could receive its own trademark, financial news outlet Yicai.com reported. China’s trademark office previously denied an application for the alert in 2014, saying the sound was “simple and common.” Tencent, which owns QQ, sued the office in 2016 for its decision.

QQ was launched in 1999 as Tencent’s first instant messaging platform, known for its scarf-wearing penguin mascot. Last month, the service killed off millions of virtual birds resembling the beloved mascot when it closed the popular online game QQ Pets due to a decline in players.