Apple is ridiculously protective of its trademarks and patents. That much should be clear by now. The company will drag you to court if you so much have a single element in common with its own devices. One could argue that Apple was within their right to sue other electronic companies like Samsung, but their latest legal assault might be going a tad bit too far. Reuters is reporting that Apple is suing an online Polish grocery retailer named A.pl. The Web site’s name is an obvious pun on the word “apple.” Apples are a fruit and, as such, belong in a grocery store. Surely Apple wouldn’t be angry over a grocery store using a pun. They aren’t even in the same market. Apple says that the lawsuit isn’t about the name, but rather the logo. The company’s main logo isn’t infringing in the least, but their offshoot company, fresh24, may be the cause of the suit. The logo does bear a resemblance to Apple’s iconic logo, but is it really worth a lawsuit? Apple says that A.pl is using its logo to attract customers. In essence, Apple says that a grocery store has copied its logo, which is associated with electronics, to sell fruits and vegetables. I don’t even know what to say about this so I’ll just let A.pl’s CEO Radoslaw Celinski take over: “The accusation is ludicrous”. It’s so simple, yet gets the point across so well. Apple’s lawyers must have gone insane. Anything that even remotely resembles an apple (or a rectangle) is apparently fair game for the lawsuit happy lawyers over at Apple. Once again, it’s perfectly fine for a company to defend its trademark. Nobody would care if Apple was going after an electronics supplier that was using an Apple-like branding to sell their products, but this is a grocery store. I guess they could just change their logo to that of an orange or a pear, but the apple is most commonly recognized as the king of all fruits. Anyway, A.pl is currently reviewing the case being brought against them. It will probably reach the trial phase and A.pl will probably win. Apple’s legal escapades have not been met with the same kind of success that they have seen here in the U.S. If Apple does win, however, we can say goodbye to any kind of common sense that was left in the world. source Apple Sues Online Grocery Store Over Its Logo | WebProNews Seems like apple has taken suing companies way too far.No apples for anyone.
I hope the grocery store wins, at least they sell apples so the logo is related to the business... Very pathetic of Apple, the sad thing is although its a common fruit apple will win this case, then no one will be allowed to use an image of an Apple in any sort of design.