Apple takes trademark protection “to the extreme” with Woolworths
By Dave Parrack
I’m not a big fan of Apple. The company just seems to be too full of itself, too eager to glorify its products, and too antsy about maintaining its stranglehold on the sectors it dabbles in. That philosophy extends to protecting its brand and its trademarks. Fair enough, but there’s a definite line that once crossed means Apple is going a little too far in its endeavors.
And this is it.
According to The Age, Apple is trying to prevent Woolworths (the Australian retail chain rather than the American or the now-defunct British one) from using a new logo which Steve Jobs’ company thinks is spookily similar to its own logo.
You can see both logos in the picture above left. Apple’s is clearly an Apple with a bite taken out of it. But Woolworths is a little more ambiguous. Sure, it could be compared to an apple being peeled, but it could also be described as a number of other things, and above all, it’s clearly an artistic impression of the letter ‘W. Which clearly stands for Woolworths and not Wapple.
But this hasn’t stopped Apple from appealing to IP Australia, the government agency that looks after trademarks, to reject Woolworths’ application, first filed in August of last year. Hans Hulsbosch, the man who designed the Woolworths logo in question, thinks there is no case to answer. He said:
[Apple is taking trademark protection] to the extreme. Based on this logic, they would have to take action against every fruit-seller.
Maybe so, but Apple’s concerns stem from the fact that Woolworths, currently best known for its clothing and beauty products, has been moving into other territories in recent times. Which means a move into computers and consumer electronics in the near future isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
I personally think Apple is going a little too far with this one. It doesn’t own the rights to all images that could look a little like fruit when looked at from a certain angle. Plus, even a quick glance at the Wikipedia page for ‘Trademark infringement’ tells me that no court could possibly rule in Apple’s favor on this one.
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October 6th, 2009
Just a slight clarification. Woolworths is the grocery “supermarket”, where as “Big W” is the clothing, etc store.
The slogan for Woolworths is “The fresh food store”, and therefore a logo based on a friut in a shape of a “W”.
Hope that Woolworths counter-sue for potential brand damage.!!!!
October 6th, 2009
Apple invented food, sex, water, air and sliced bread. All things that work sprung from Jobs Mobs. They would spit on you, but it would be a waste of precious Jobobien water of life.
October 7th, 2009
@Aquaadverse:
I am shocked that you used the words ‘food’, ’sex’, ‘water’, ‘air’ and ’sliced bread’ clearly without the expressed consent of Apple.
There is in fact a mobile web company called Wapple and has existed since before Apple invented the iphone too – http://wapple.net
Shock, horror, Apple didn’t invent the mobile web either! Nor ‘copy and paste’ on your mobile phone and all other ludicrous claims…