Apple bites over Woolworths logo
cited from theage.com.au Julian Lee October 5, 2009
WOOLWORTHS insists its new logo is a stylised ''W'' or a piece of fresh
produce. Apple thinks it is an apple, and the California-based technology
company wants to stop Australia's largest retailer from using it.
Apple has mounted a legal challenge to prevent Woolworths from using the logo,
arguing it is too close to its own.
Apple will have to convince IP Australia, the Federal Government agency that
governs trademarks, to knock back Woolworths' application - filed in August
last year - to trademark its logo.
Apple is spooked by the fact Woolworths has gone for a blanket trademark that
would allow it to slap its branding and logo on every imaginable product.
Woolworths' application includes a wide class for electrical goods and
technology, putting it in direct competition with Apple should the retailer
choose to brand computers, music players or other devices.
Woolworths has gone into credit cards and mobile phones, so the likelihood of
it going into computers is not too remote.
A Woolworths spokesman said: ''While we can't rule anything out, we haven't
got any plans at the moment.''A lesser class of trademark application - that
for retail stores - may also pit Woolworths against Apple, which is ramping
up its retail presence.Since it unveiled its new logo a year ago, Woolworths
has been at pains to avoid using the word ''apple'' in commentary.
The man who designed it, Hans Hulsbosch, said Apple was taking trademark
protection ''to the extreme''. ''Based on this logic, they would have to take
action against every fruit-seller.''
Trademark lawyer Trevor Choy said it was common for Apple to prevent others
from using anything that resembled an apple in a logo or marketing.
''They are just covering any eventualities,'' he said, adding that less than
5 per cent of such actions made it to court.
Apple declined to comment.
原文連結 http://tinyurl.com/ybpwfm6
今天逛the age看到的新聞，大意是說Woolworths的新版logo讓Apple覺得太相像
有鑑於Woolworths現在已經朝信用卡和手機通訊的產業發產，如果未來繼續往3C
發展，這個logo對於蘋果將會照成困擾........所以Apple的"律師團"希望澳洲聯邦
法院可以阻止通過Woolworths的新商標申請案，美國的Apple槓上澳洲最大的超市集團
成為有趣的發展，Woolworths新商標的設計者跳出來說"Apple這麼做的話，根本是太
過極端的保護他們的商標，如果是這樣的話，那一堆農產零售商都要被告了！"
至於Apple則拒絕發表意見，一切交給律師團和法院處理
--
cited from theage.com.au Julian Lee October 5, 2009
WOOLWORTHS insists its new logo is a stylised ''W'' or a piece of fresh
produce. Apple thinks it is an apple, and the California-based technology
company wants to stop Australia's largest retailer from using it.
Apple has mounted a legal challenge to prevent Woolworths from using the logo,
arguing it is too close to its own.
Apple will have to convince IP Australia, the Federal Government agency that
governs trademarks, to knock back Woolworths' application - filed in August
last year - to trademark its logo.
Apple is spooked by the fact Woolworths has gone for a blanket trademark that
would allow it to slap its branding and logo on every imaginable product.
Woolworths' application includes a wide class for electrical goods and
technology, putting it in direct competition with Apple should the retailer
choose to brand computers, music players or other devices.
Woolworths has gone into credit cards and mobile phones, so the likelihood of
it going into computers is not too remote.
A Woolworths spokesman said: ''While we can't rule anything out, we haven't
got any plans at the moment.''A lesser class of trademark application - that
for retail stores - may also pit Woolworths against Apple, which is ramping
up its retail presence.Since it unveiled its new logo a year ago, Woolworths
has been at pains to avoid using the word ''apple'' in commentary.
The man who designed it, Hans Hulsbosch, said Apple was taking trademark
protection ''to the extreme''. ''Based on this logic, they would have to take
action against every fruit-seller.''
Trademark lawyer Trevor Choy said it was common for Apple to prevent others
from using anything that resembled an apple in a logo or marketing.
''They are just covering any eventualities,'' he said, adding that less than
5 per cent of such actions made it to court.
Apple declined to comment.
原文連結 http://tinyurl.com/ybpwfm6
今天逛the age看到的新聞，大意是說Woolworths的新版logo讓Apple覺得太相像
有鑑於Woolworths現在已經朝信用卡和手機通訊的產業發產，如果未來繼續往3C
發展，這個logo對於蘋果將會照成困擾........所以Apple的"律師團"希望澳洲聯邦
法院可以阻止通過Woolworths的新商標申請案，美國的Apple槓上澳洲最大的超市集團
成為有趣的發展，Woolworths新商標的設計者跳出來說"Apple這麼做的話，根本是太
過極端的保護他們的商標，如果是這樣的話，那一堆農產零售商都要被告了！"
至於Apple則拒絕發表意見，一切交給律師團和法院處理
--
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