🍏 Tech Titan vs Actual Fruit: An Absurd Logo War of Apple Proportions! 🍎
TL;DR;:
The oldest and largest fruit farmers organization in Switzerland, Fruit Union Suisse, is on the edge of losing its logo due to the tech behemoth Apple. Yeah, you read that right. Apple wants to claim intellectual property rights on the depiction of, well, apples. 🍏🍎 Biting off more than they can chew, or simply planting seeds of corporate monopoly? 🤔
The Battle Begins:
The Fruit Union Suisse, with its 111-year-long history, is really feeling the bite. They’ve used a symbol of a red apple with a white cross (a Swiss National Flag twist on an apple, pretty nifty, right?) for ages. And now, their fruity emblem is under threat because of Apple’s IP-hungry venture. Should an apple, which grows on a tree and is as universal as it gets, be owned by a tech company? Does this seem bizarre to you? 🤷♀️
Fruit Union Suisse’s director, Jimmy Mariéthoz, voiced his confusion, “Their objective here is really to own the rights to an actual apple, which, for us, is something that is really almost universal … that should be free for everyone to use.”
Broadening Horizons or Overreach?
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, this case isn’t just a Swiss anomaly. Apple has made similar requests around the world and has seen various degrees of success. Japan, Turkey, Israel, and Armenia, for instance, have given the thumbs up. Apple’s move to trademark something as generic as a fruit might suggest an IP rights industry that encourages companies to lock horns over trademarks they may not even need. But, hey, who are we to judge? 🙃
Playing Hard to Get:
Apple’s attempts to secure the trademark in Switzerland trace back to 2017. Their IP rights request is for a realistic, black-and-white depiction of a Granny Smith apple—our everyday green apple. The tech giant wanted these rights for an array of potential uses, especially related to electronic, digital, and audiovisual consumer goods and hardware.
The Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) partially granted Apple’s request, stating Apple could only have rights relating to some of the goods it wanted. This resulted from a legal principle that considers generic images of common goods—like apples—to be in the public domain. In other words, free for all. This left Apple discontented, and they’ve now appealed the decision.
Who knew apple wars could get this intense, huh?
What’s Left on the Table?
The current legal battle revolves around the goods for which the IPI refused the trademark. Details on these goods can’t be disclosed without Apple’s consent due to the ongoing proceedings. But, we know it includes common uses such as audiovisual footage meant for television and other transmission.
So, we’re left here, biting our nails, wondering if our favorite fruit could end up being an exclusive logo for a tech company.
Wait, does this mean we need to think twice before posting that Insta-worthy picture of our apple pie? Shouldn’t a fruit, as common as an apple, remain within the public domain? Isn’t there a difference between a tech Apple and a real apple? Or are we just comparing apples to Apples here? 🍏🍎 What are your thoughts?
