Trademark

Copyright regulator to strip Apple of its iPhone trademark in Brazil

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

On Monday, we passed along a report claiming that Apple is in jeopardy of losing its 'iPhone' trademark in Brazil. It applied for exclusive rights to the name back in 2007, and is expecting to hear a decision from the country's copyright regulator next week.

The problem is that the iPhone trademark has belonged to electronics maker IGB Eletrônica SA since 2008. And rumor has it that the Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property is going to rule in its favor, meaning Apple couldn't use the term anymore...

The iPhone moniker is in jeopardy in Brazil

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 4, 2013

When Apple acquired rights to the iPhone moniker from Cisco ahead of the 2007 iPhone launch, the company probably never dreamed that it could face losing naming rights in Brazil. Reuters in December 2012 relayed a local report explaining that the Brazilian electronics maker IGB Eletrônica SA owns a trademark for the “IPHONE” term in Brazil. And now, another report has it that IGB could indeed be the rightful holder of the iPhone trademark in the country...

Apple wins trademarks for Apple Store design and layout

Cody Lee ∙ January 30, 2013

Apple Stores provide an unmistakable, unique shopping environment. The company has spent years perfecting the look and feel of its retail shops, with their large glass windows, clutter-free product tables and walls of accessories.

And it looks like Apple will now be able to protect all of that hard work with a few newly acquired trademarks. This past week, the US Patent and Trademark office granted the company trademarks on its retail design and layout...

Apple files for new iPad trademark in China

Cody Lee ∙ January 20, 2013

It's been a busy couple of weeks for Apple in China. First there was Tim Cook's visit, which involved meetings with government officials and China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua. Then there was the cellular iPad and iPad mini launch on Friday.

And now we know that Apple's legal team applied for a new iPad trademark in China last week. They submitted the filing, which covers the likeness of the best-selling tablet, to the country's Patent and Trademark Office on Friday...

Apple, Amazon must enter settlement talks over ‘App Store’ trademark ahead of August trial

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 16, 2013

Amazon last September asked court to drop Apple's suit over its use of the 'Appstore' term in relation to its application store, which launched as the Amazon Appstore for Android, but is now simply called the Amazon Appstore. The service is carrying mobile applications for Android devices and Amazon's own Kindle lineup of tablets and e-readers.

Apple's been arguing from the onset that Amazon has been attempting to free-ride on the popularity of the term Apple helped push by aggressively marketing its App Store. And now, a judge has ordered the two parties to enter settlement talks ahead of trial...

Russian Railways sues Apple over trademark infringement

Cody Lee ∙ January 15, 2013

I don't know what it is with Apple and European railways, but another one has taken up a beef with the Cupertino company. Today, Russian Railways announced that it has issued a trademark infringement suit against Apple.

The reason behind the lawsuit is still not entirely clear, but it looks like it has something to do with third-party apps in the App Store that use RZD's (that's the abbreviation for Russian Railways) logo without permission...

Court dismisses Apple’s ‘App Store’ lawsuit against Amazon

Cody Lee ∙ January 2, 2013

Apple's been involved in some pretty silly legal tiffs, but this one has to be at the top of the list. In 2012, the Cupertino company filed a lawsuit against Amazon for using the term 'App Store' to describe its app portal, calling it "false advertising."

Well luckily, it looks like we can finally put this mess behind us. According to a new report, a California court has granted Amazon's request to dismiss Apple's false advertising suit on the grounds that it failed to provide sufficient evidence...

Apple wins trademarks for the Retina moniker and the Game Center icon design

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 4, 2012

Apple today received two interesting trademark grants seeking to protect the Game Center icon design and the Apple-coined Retina moniker. The former describes a rounded icon divided into four quadrants, each sporting a distinct combination of colors and shapes. It was originally filed in June 2012 under international classes that cover multiplayer games, scoring and tracking game performance and "providing an online portal for social networking through virtual communities".

More important than the Game Center icon is the widely used Retina name, now a registered trademark of Apple, Inc.

Apple granted 36 patents covering Siri mic icon design, Lightning, widgets and more

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple this morning has received patents covering more than three dozen different technologies, ranging from the obvious to the obscure. The company's patent filings as of late are even inspiring parody treatments like the Apple alphabet patent. Among today's grants are the filings describing ways to interface sports equipment with your iPhone, iPad or iPod, patents for Mac OS X dashboards and the MacBook keyboard and others seeking to protect icons and designs of popular software features.

Most people know of Apple's long-time association with Nike and the Nike+ app that records your running routine. Earlier this year, the Cupertino, California company filed a patent to go one step farther, interfacing your iPhone with a treadmill, or other workout machine at the local gym. Now it appears that patent was granted. But, wait, there's plenty more gadgets and gizmos Apple wants protected...

Apple acquired ‘Lightning’ trademark from Harley-Davidson

Cody Lee ∙ November 26, 2012

Back in September, Apple fulfilled the prophecies of the rumor mill and introduced a new charging port for its iOS devices called 'Lightning.' As expected, it had 9 pins, and was reversible, so you could insert the plug either way.

Interestingly enough, two trademark applications published on Sunday by the EU Patent & Trademark Office show that Apple actually had to acquire the 'Lightning' trademark from the motorcycle-maker Harley-Davidson...

iMessage, Passbook icon are now registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 21, 2012

Apple's iMessage was first introduced at WWDC 2011 and billed as a data-driven communications service for exchange of chat messages, images, contact cards, locations and more between iPhones, iPods and iPads. iMessage also replaced the old iChat client with the OS X Mountain Lion update, enabling Mac owners to interact with other Mac and iOS users simply by using their email handle or cell phone number. Apple originally filed for an iMessage trademark in September 2011 and today the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the Cupertino firm two registered trademarks for iMessage, in addiction to another one for the Passbook icon...

China iPad sales up 80 percent on ProView deal

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2012

Following the successful trademark dispute resolution with ProView over the iPad moniker, Apple's tablet sales in the 1.33 billion people market surged 80 percent, a new survey has it. Apple, as you know, back in July ended its legal spat with China's bankrupt monitor maker by paying $60 million in exchange for ownership of the iPad name in China.

That deal has paved the way for the July 20 iPad launch in the country. According to an IDC research note issued Friday, iPad shipments in China nearly doubled following that deal.

An estimated 2.07 million units of the iPad were sold in China during the third quarter of this year versus the 1.15 million shipments in the previous quarter. Lenovo is a distant second with 278,000 tablet shipments. Samsung? It's ranked as third with only 143,000 units moved...