Apple Now Owns Trademark On ‘280’… What?

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maps-icon-location-iphone

Apple just obtained a U.S. Trademark for “280,” but don’t expect that to be the official name of some new and exciting Apple product. Rather, it is a trademark that covers the logo for Apple’s popular Maps icon.

Why is there a 280 in Apple’s Maps icon? Simple: Interstate 280 passes right by Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Apple’s trademark covers both the icon and, intriguingly, the word. The mark description reads:

“The mark consists of a gray map with streets in gray and white and highways in yellow and orange, a highway sign in blue, yellow and red bearing the number “280″ in white, and a gray and red pin.”

Why has Apple trademarked 280 in addition to the icon’s design? Simple: when you submit a trademark filing for an icon, you must also put in the “word mark” field any words that are included in that icon. In Apple’s Maps.app icon’s case, that word mark is more abstract than most.

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