Apple sues Australian food chain over logo

Woolworths Logo (Left)..... Apple Logo (Right)

Article Taken from: http://www.theage.com.au/business/apple-bites-over-woolworths-logo-20091005-ghzr.html#ixzz1KLyHhA3F


WOOLWORTHS insists its new logo is a stylised ''W'' or a piece of fresh produce. Apple thinks it is an apple, and the California-based technology company wants to stop Australia's largest retailer from using it.


Apple has mounted a legal challenge to prevent Woolworths from using the logo, arguing it is too close to its own.


Apple will have to convince IP Australia, the Federal Government agency that governs trademarks, to knock back Woolworths' application - filed in August last year - to trademark its logo.


Apple is spooked by the fact Woolworths has gone for a blanket trademark that would allow it to slap its branding and logo on every imaginable product.
Woolworths' application includes a wide class for electrical goods and technology, putting it in direct competition with Apple should the retailer choose to brand computers, music players or other devices.


Woolworths has gone into credit cards and mobile phones, so the likelihood of it going into computers is not too remote.


A Woolworths spokesman said: ''While we can't rule anything out, we haven't got any plans at the moment.''


A lesser class of trademark application - that for retail stores - may also pit Woolworths against Apple, which is ramping up its retail presence.


Since it unveiled its new logo a year ago, Woolworths has been at pains to avoid using the word ''apple'' in commentary.


The man who designed it, Hans Hulsbosch, said Apple was taking trademark protection ''to the extreme''. ''Based on this logic, they would have to take action against every fruit-seller.''


Trademark lawyer Trevor Choy said it was common for Apple to prevent others from using anything that resembled an apple in a logo or marketing.


''They are just covering any eventualities,'' he said, adding that less than 5 per cent of such actions made it to court.


Apple declined to comment.
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I believe that apple is just nervous about Woolworths. As being an Australia, I go to woolies almost every week. And I must say they are a really good company having stores nationwide, owning there own gas stations and bringing out their own credit card. Woolworths is a big threat to Apple as they are gonna start bringing out IPod, Phones etc etc. But I don't think apple should worry about it to much as how could a company starting out selling groceries to selling products like apple.


If apple did win this case, apple would have to sue all companies that have an apple in their logo.
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What do you think?




PS. This might seem a bit weird but im bored, and for some reason I find this story interesting.

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..lol how is that logo similar to Apple..too much freaking out on them..people just over rates the Apple brand..

PS..

A tip to woolworths, say its a Peach

 

Lol, i thought it was a pumpkin

 

the green and the white apple...............

they are different.............~_~

 

Since when was safeway renamed to woolworths ? =____="

Apple is just being a btch and is just jelly that woolworth's apple design is so much more sexier than a munched-on silver apple, meh.
imo, if apple 'thinks' woolworths is stealing their apple idea, it can go eat its own apples cause i dont think a green swirly apple resembles a silver apple at all, might as well go complain to all the other stores with apples included in their logo >:U

 

what in blazes is Apple smoking? The images barely look alike.

I'd rather sue Pear.

 

So no one can have a trademark with apples in it. Or something that looks similar to an apple.

What?

 

What a bunch of *******s. That doesn't even remotely resemble the logo -.- The super-douches at apple are just trying to grow a larger ballsack by suing at random -.-

 

apple needs to make it aganist an apple because it have a format of an apple

 

I swear, i thought that was a munched-on pile of crap that happened to have a leaf on top o.o!

 

in brazil we have looooots of fones for ipods
like carrots pinapple organge melon

not kidding

 

It really looks more like lettuce or cabbage to me.

That's just me.

 

Looks apple is on a suing parade lol

 

it looks like a pumpkin to me