Indian Company Sues Apple for the ‘iPhone’ Trademark
The iPhone has been considered one of the most game-changing products in recent history. It truly began the age of smartphones by giving a clear direction for other companies to follow.It is the most prominent smartphone in the market and has brought a great deal of revenue for the Cupertino-based giant; making its name synonymous with Apple’s. Now, in a surprising turn of events, an Indian company is challenging Apple for the trademark of the “iPhone”.
iVoice Ventures, claims that it owns the trademark for ‘iFon’ and hence is going to challenge the patent application of the iPhone in India. The company has filed four cases against granted and pending rights of the iPhone brand name in India.
iVoice said that the company is planning to bring budget smartphones under the name of iFon. They added that Apple’s original challenge to the company’s brand name had caused it “insurmountable challenges and irrevocable losses in ramping business during 2008/2009.” iVoice stated that it wants to revamp their business and for that it is necessary to secure their intellectual property rights for the iFon brand name.
It seems like Apple’s legal trouble refuse to die down. The tech giant was recently ordered to shell out $532.9 Million in a case involving their iTunes app. Apple has been planning a major expansion drive in India and is planning to open 500 retail stores here. It might be an easy battle for Apple as the company has a barrage of lawyers and resources to win such cases or at least, come to an amicable settlement.
