Apple Legal vs. Fruit Union Suisse
Gabriela Galindo (via Hacker News):
The Fruit Union Suisse is 111 years old. For most of its history, it has had as its symbol a red apple with a white cross—the Swiss national flag superimposed on one of its most common fruits. But the group, the oldest and largest fruit farmer’s organization in Switzerland, worries it might have to change its logo, because Apple, the tech giant, is trying to gain intellectual property rights over depictions of apples, the fruit.
“We have a hard time understanding this, because it’s not like they’re trying to protect their bitten apple,” Fruit Union Suisse director Jimmy Mariéthoz says, referring to the company’s iconic logo. “Their objective here is really to own the rights to an actual apple, which, for us, is something that is really almost universal … that should be free for everyone to use.”
[…]
Over the past few years, Apple has pursued a meal-prepping app with a pear logo, a singer-songwriter named Frankie Pineapple, a German cycling route, a pair of stationery makers, and a school district, among others.
Why?
Previously:
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IANAL but I believe if you don’t defend a trademark you can lose it. But obviously the question is what requires defending and what does not.
Some days I don’t understand Apple.
News reporters should ask Tim Cook about these lawsuits.
This sort of self-entitled arrogance puts me off Apple. It brands Apple as a bunch of narcissists -- presumably not the image they want to project. I doubt I'm the only one.
Give Apples history of screwing Apple records over I'd say their worries are warranted.
Of you give them the tiniest sliver they'll come for the entire hand before you know it
Megalomania!
Not the good ol' days of the underdog computer company in the garage. Now they want to own everything.