Another Logo Sets Apple’s Lawyers Off
9:29 am, October 5th, 2009, Nicole Martinelli
The latest corporate apple to be taken to court by Apple is Woolworths, an Australian supermarket chain.
They 80-year-old company restyled their “W” to look like an apple, meant to symbolize fresh produce.
Apple’s lawyers are seeing red, just as they did with the Canadian school, and hope to convince IP Australia, the federal agency that governs trademarks down under, to repeal Woolworths’ application, made last August, to trademark its new logo, according to The Age.
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.”
Apple has so far declined to comment.
The speculation? That the Aussie retailer has requested a blanket trademark, leaving open the possibility that it could slap that apple on “fresh” computer products and home electronics. It already sells own-brand credit cards and mobile phone plans.
The retailer is expected to fight, since the rebranding took it from being “seen as a dowdy brand for the uninspired older woman, it was a sensible and unexciting choice… Since it has reinvented itself…it has positioned itself as a brand that understands what people want,” according to brandchannel.
Via The Age
Posted by Nicole Martinelli in News, Top stories | Comment on this article
Wow, this is indeed extreme on the part of Apple. The Woolworth’s logo is very unique, not resembling Apple’s at all. It has a distinct W and it is GREEN, too! C’mon APPLE!
Trapik Media Internet Marketing, on October 5th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Come on… really?
Bryan, on October 5th, 2009 at 9:50 am
The way these things are decided is by determining whether or not the Woolworth logo is ‘confusingly similar’ to the Apple logo. My judgement tells me that you can’t mistake one for the other, so I bet Apple gets slapped down here.
JAYnLA, on October 5th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Ridiculous.
Andrew Macdonald, on October 5th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
In New Zealand they use this logo for the supermarket chain Countdown. with a bit of creativity you can see the c& d in it.
mmmark, on October 5th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
this sounds just a bit familiar…didn’t apple records and apple computers have this debate?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps_v._Apple_Computer
james..., on October 5th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
I agree with protecting your trademark IF there is the risk of confusion between brands in a specific market place. Such as two companies selling mobile phone devices.
But, it is very unlikely that Woolworths will ever brand any electronic consumer device with this logo. Woolworths create sub-brands for all their product lines for FMCGs, credit cards, phone plans, etc…
For example, their mobile plans do not use the ‘apple’ logo, nor do their credit cards. The overarching brand name of Woolworths is text only, no logo, and is secondary to the stylised product line name which is ‘everyday’, ie: Mobile plan is ‘everyday mobile’ and credit card is ‘everyday money’.
See: http://www.woolworths.com.au/
So, prepare to see Apple slapped down in this case. As trademark protection and law is localised per country and does not give Apple the same rights and privileges they might receive in say, the US, I expect the Australian courts to tell Apple to give it up. This will set a tidy precedent too.
JW., on October 6th, 2009 at 2:47 am
what about this use of a Apple in the bible.
http://sharonxx.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/eve_apple.jpg
why don’t Jobs sue God, oh I forgot Jobs is God…
Poppa, on October 6th, 2009 at 5:53 am
I think Apple’s In-House Attorneys may be short of work this month, and looking for something to fill their day. Perhaps the Woolworth logo is one of those op-art designs that if you stare at it long enough, is spells out “Buy a PC”.
Erin's Dad, on October 6th, 2009 at 7:39 am
The morale of this story is: “Turn your leaf on you apple-logo to the other side and Apple will not have a problem with it.”
Gerard Dunsten, on October 6th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Applebee’s and Gwyneth Paltrow, you’re next!
the international nomad, on October 6th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
This is probably because of the difficulty in protecting your trademark if you don’t challenge any and all similar designs. It’s just too important to chance a judge saying, “but you didn’t challenge this other one…” So you go after everybody to make sure you don’t lose the big one for a possible minor oversight.
imajoebob, on October 6th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Price Chopper (owned by Sobeys) food stores in Canada have a logo that Apple lawyers may find interesting.
http://tatteredflag.ca/temporary/pricechopper.png
Mike, on October 12th, 2009 at 2:08 pm