There’s no rest for the suits: just days after iCloud Communications announced it filed over the use of the iCloud name, publisher J.T. Colby and Co. has filed a suit against Apple over the use of the term “iBook.”
The publisher claims the trademark was bought from Byron Preiss Visual Publications in 2006 as part of a bankruptcy sale. Priess registered his first ISBN for an “iBook” back in 2000 and published over 1,000 titles under the “iBooks” brand.
According to Cnet, Colby’s suit acknowledges that Apple has a trademark for “iBook” related to its use on the personal computer the Mac maker sold from 1999 to 2006. However, Apple did not adopt the term to describe ebooks until 2010.
We put a line out to Apple for comment but haven’t heard back yet.
After a seven-year battle, Apple recently dropped a case where it tried to secure the “pod” trademark. In that case, the trademark tussle was over a video projector called Video Pod from entrepreneur Daniel Kokin. Apple filed oppositions against Kokin’s usage of “Pod,” alleging that it would cause customers to confuse it with Apple’s iPod products.
This recent scuffle with Amazon and Microsoft over who owns the phrase “App Store” is currently before the Trademark Trial and Appeal board. Apple was also recently named one of the world’s 10 most valuable trademarks by Forbes.
Will it never iEnd?
Via CNET
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8 responses to “Publisher throws the iBook at Apple in Latest Trademark Lawsuit”
where were they for the last year while Apple has been violating their alleged trademark
why did the mark not show up when Apple filed for it last year
where can we get these ibooks that Colby makes
these questions (or rather the answers) could be important to whether they win or not
I think its pathetic how much Apple gets copied. Â Like seriously, every company now has at least one ‘iProduct’, all phones look similar to an iPhone, all computing companies now sell ‘Apps’ (funny that they can’t be called programs any more) and all applications’ icons are square, with curved edges. Â Its ridiculous. Â MAKE UP YOUR OWN IDEAS.
Just shut up.. you couldn’t do it better.. and now bugging apple who is justifying the name icloud to the core..
Although I sort of wish to support this company, I have to say, it did start publishing these brands in 1999, whereas the iMac was released in 1998, and the iMac started off the i-prefix craze. I always believed it stood for interactive, I’m told it was actually internet, but either way, a traditional book is  neither of these things. Sorry, but I agree with lucascott and rockinrors, where were you last year, and why do people copy Apple so much. Â