Apple barred from using the term Split View in India over alleged trademark infringement

iPad Air 2 Split view

iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan have brought out several new multitasking modes on compatible iPads and Macs, including a split-screen feature referred to as Split View. That term is now under fire by the Delhi High Court which has ordered Apple to stop actively using and marketing Split View in India over an alleged trademark infringement.

The infringement claim was filed by a company called Vyooh, a Microsoft vendor, which owns the trademark for the name ‘SplitView’, reports The Indian Times.

“The Delhi High Court has directed the US tech giant not to use the name ‘SplitView’ in any of its products or services such as iPad, iPhone or iOS operating system after a little known Delhi-based software company Vyooh moved court, alleging trademark violation,” reads the report.

“This order will send a strong message to multinational software companies to respect the intellectual property rights of Indian software developers. It also signifies the importance of trademarks in the software field,” as per court documents.

This isn’t the first time Apple found itself in hot water over using the term Split View.

Back in March, Indian software developer Rohit Singh sued the Cupertino company at the Delhi High Court for trademark infringement of its mark ‘SplitView’. Singh, as you may have guessed already, is the guy who runs Vyooh which has apps named SplitView, DiskView and ViewScribe.

Vyooh developer the SplitView app about a decade ago, in 2006. The software lets users simultaneously work on multiple windows on the user’s single computer screen. Apple has until May 9 to file its reply and has already applied against the decision.

Source: The Indian Times