Trademark

Apple’s iCloud trademark now covers smart glasses and headset accessory

Apple has updated its figurative trademark for “iCloud”, filed with the Hong Kong Trademark Office, to include smart glasses and even a headset peripheral device. As you know, the Cupertino company is rumored to be working on a dedicated augmented reality headset or a smart glasses product with Carl Zeiss optics.

As first noted by PatentlyApple, since April of this year Apple has begun to include specific types of products to its trademarks covering the Mac Pro/iMac Pro computers and the ARKit framework for building augmented reality apps, including devices like smart glasses, head mounted displays, virtual and augmented reality displays and the like.

The iCloud trademark's international class 09 verbiage defines the headsets as falling under the context of “wearable digital electronic devices capable of providing access to the Internet” or “computer software for setting up, configuring, operating and controlling” these systems.

Likewise, the trademark meticulously lists the real-world applications for “smart glasses,” also covering things like “virtual and augmented reality displays, goggles, controllers, and headsets, 3D spectacles, eyeglasses, sunglasses, spectacle lenses, optical glass and optical goods”.

Why is Apple reviving its old AirTunes trademark?

It seems that Apple may be reviving its old AirTunes trademark for purposes unknown, Patently Apple reported Monday. AirTunes became AirPlay in 2010 so it's a mystery as to why precisely Apple has now decided to file for the figurative trademark “AirTunes” with the European Union's Trademark Office.

According to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) document, the U.S. trademark for “AirTunes” expired on November 11, 2016. The AirTunes feature originally worked with the original AirPort router.

Trademarks for three new MacBooks discovered in Russia ahead of Apple’s “Hello again” event

French-language publication Consomac.fr has discovered a trio of previously unknown trademarks for unreleased MacBook models as Apple preps to share what's new for its aging Mac lineup at the “Hello again” media event scheduled for this Thursday, October 27. Apple filed three trademarks for “portable personal computers” in Russia, possibly in order to keep them secret for as long as possible.

It's worth noting that Russian law requires foreign companies to register any products that use encryption or provide other cryptographic tools.

The documents found in the Eurasian Economic Commission database mention model numbers that cannot be linked to existing hardware: A1706, A1707 and A1708.

Will Apple call next-gen MacBook Pro’s rumored OLED strip “Magic Toolbar”?

Apple is holding a media event on October 27 to unveil new Macs. Everyone is expecting the company to announce a next-generation MacBook Pro with a rumored OLED strip that would replace the physical function keys at the top of the keyboard with programmable shortcuts which would change from one app to another. But what could Apple call that rumored OLED touch bar?

According to trademark agent Brian Conroy who was able to uncover a trademark application that a shell company quite likely filed for on behalf for Apple, the feature could be marketed as “Magic Toolbar.”

The lengths Apple goes to in order to keep trademark filings undetected for six months

There have been at least 343 instances in which Apple took advantage of section 44(d) of the US Trademark Act to keep its trademark filings confidential for a period of six months, Quartz reported Monday in an interesting write-up titled “Why Jamaica knows about Apple’s new products before the rest of the world”.

The article explains that Apple files trademark applications in places where these databases are not searchable online, via shell companies to conceal its identity and six months before applying for the same trademark in the U.S.

Apple files trademark applications for “iSight Duo”, “A10 Fusion”, “Depth” and “Writeboard”

Trademark lawyer Brian Conroy today discovered some additional trademark filings by Apple, including one for something called “A10 Fusion” and the other for “iSight Duo”. Both of these trademarks were filed for on June 8, 2016 in Brunei. Additionally, Apple also filed for “Depth” and “Writeboard” trademarks.

The iPhone 7 Plus is said to have a dual-lens camera that should allow for true optical zoom and possibly the ability to refocus images after they have been taken.

Apple trademarks “iPhone 7”, “Iris Engine”, “Touch Bar”, “Smart Button”, ”AirPod Case” & more

With 24 hours left until the iPhone 7 keynote, a bunch of Apple trademark filings have now surfaced, as recently discovered by lawyer Brian Conroy. The documents provide some solid hints as to some of the gadgets the Cupertino firm may have been working on and could release at tomorrow's event.

One of the more peculiar trademark filings is that for “Iris Engine”, potentially hinting at iris scanning capabilities believed to be coming to a future iPhone.

Another one is for “AirPod Case”, which probably denotes a carrying and charging case for AirPods, Apple's alleged Bragi Dash-style high-end Bluetooth in-ear buds.

Night Shift mode could be coming to Mac, Apple Watch and CarPlay

Night Shift mode, a new iOS 9.3 feature which helps users get a good night’s sleep by reducing the amount of blue light emitted from a backlight of their iOS device as the sun sets, could be coming to the Mac, the Apple Watch and even to Apple's CarPlay infotainment system, Patently Apple writes.

A trademark application for “Computer software for controlling computer and mobile device display screens,” filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), specifically covers smartphones (the iPhone), computers (the Mac), smartwatches (Apple Watch) and cars (CarPlay) while also mentioning things like styluses, batteries, radios, integrated circuits and even fire extinguishers, which is normal for these types of trademarks.

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

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.

Apple files trademark applications for Beats 2, 3, 4 and 5 radio stations

Apple’s streaming music deals include permissions for additional Beats stations and now it's come to light that the Cupertino firm back in November filed trademark applications for Beats 2, Beats 3, Beats 4 and Beats 5 stations with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

As first reported by the French blog Consomac, all four trademark applications are assigned to “Beats Electronics, LLC” and the word marks look just like the existing logo for the Beats 1 radio station.

Apple appears to have trademarked ‘tvOS,’ the next Apple TV’s likely software platform name

With just a few hours until Apple's keynote, a series of trademark filings for the name 'tvOS' have been discovered by MacRumors, indicating that the Apple TV's new operating system will indeed be referred to as 'tvOS', which would be in line with the naming convention for iOS and watchOS platforms.

Apple appears to have protected the trademark via a shell corporation, as is its usual modus operandi when it wants to hide trademark filings from general public.

Swatch attempts to justify ‘One more thing’ trademark with a silly explanation

Swatch would have you think that its controversial “One more thing” trademark has nothing to do with Apple. A company spokesperson told Techradar today that its trademark for the “One more thing” phrase was inspired by a line from the TV show “Columbo,” an explanation people following technology news will have a hard time believing.

Swiss watchmaker Swatch became the subject of the Internet ridicule following news that it was recently granted a trademark on “One more thing,” a catch phrase late CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs used extensively when introducing new surprise products during Apple’s media events.