Apple to Challenge Organisation Over Use of Fruit Logo
According to reports, Apple is seeking to obtain intellectual property (IP) rights for representations of apples, causing concern for a Swiss organization representing fruit farmers.
According to a report in Wired magazine, the Fruit Union, Switzerland’s oldest and largest fruit growers’ association, is worried it may have to change its logo as the iPhone maker tries to secure IP rights for “realistic, black-and-white action.” -a white image of an apple variety known as Granny Smith”.
“Their goal is to really own the rights to the real apple, which for us is really almost a universal thing that should be freely available to everyone,” Fruit Union Suisse director Jimmy Mariethoz said.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, Apple has made similar requests to dozens of IP authorities around the world.
Officials in Japan, Turkey, Israel and Armenia have already accepted their fate, albeit reluctantly.
“Apple’s push to own intellectual property rights over something as common as a fruit speaks to the dynamics of a booming global intellectual property industry that encourages companies to obsessively compete for trademarks they don’t really need,” the report said.
The tech giant had filed an application with the Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) in 2017 seeking intellectual property rights for a realistic, black-and-white depiction of an apple variety known as the Granny Smith – a common green apple.
“The request covered a broad list of potential uses – ‘mostly in electronic, digital and audiovisual consumer goods and devices,'” according to the report.
The Swiss institute partially granted Apple’s request last year, saying Apple could only have rights to some of the products it wanted. Apple later filed an appeal.
According to Fruit Union, it is not clear what uses of the apple shape Apple is trying to protect.
“We are concerned that any visual representation of the apple – that is, everything that is audiovisual or related to new technology or media – may be affected. That would be a very, very big limitation for us,” Mariethoz said.
