Apple Loses iPhone Trademark In Brazil, May Have To Rename Its Smartphone | TechTree.com

Apple Loses iPhone Trademark In Brazil, May Have To Rename Its Smartphone

Trademark granted to local company who registered it 7 years before iPhone was launched.

 

In an interesting twist of fate, this time it is Apple who is getting the short end of the stick. Brazilian copyright and trademark authority has awarded the iPhone trademark to Gradiente Eletronica SA, a Brazilian consumer electronics maker. The company in question had registered "iphone" in the year 2000, a good seven years before Apple announced its iconic smartphone.

The authority, Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property, who has granted the trademark will announce its decision officially on February 13th. This could potentially mean Apple will have to stop its sales and rebrand its popular smartphone. It is possible for Apple to appeal the decision in court, which it most likely will do. Whether that would help is speculative but it would certainly buy them some time.

More interesting perhaps, is that the Brazilian company in question launched its "iphone" last December running the Android operating system. The Brazilian company's iphone retails for USD 300 approximately and is available in two colours, black and white, similar to Apple's iPhone. In comparison, the original iPhone from Apple retails at a price four times that of the Brazilian company's model at approximately USD 1200.

This is not the first time that Apple has lost a trademark dispute. Last year Apple lost the trademark to "iPad" in China against a company called Proview. Apple had to later settle for USD 60 million with Proview for the use of the iPad term in China. Chances are that Apple will have to settle here as well.

How long before an Indian company discovers that it had accidentally trademarked something long before Apple started selling their products in India, and thus finds an opportunity to hold the company to ransom?


TAGS: Mobile Phones, Apple, iPhone

 
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