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Cisco Lost Rights to iPhone Trademark Last Year?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the use-it-or-lose-it dept.

An anonymous reader writes "An investigation into the ongoing trademark dispute between Cisco and Apple over the name "iPhone" appears to show that Cisco does not own the mark as claimed in their recent lawsuit. This is based on publicly available information from the US Patent and Trademark office, as well as public reviews of Cisco products over the past year. The trademark was apparently abandoned in late 2005/early 2006 because Cisco was not using it."

11 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Old News by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    iKnow that

    --Steve

  2. simple solution by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cisco should just rebrand their iPhone product line and call them Apple Phones.

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:simple solution by Megane · · Score: 4, Funny

      I like "Cisc-o-Fone" myself. It's got a retro sound to it. "Disco Stu! Loves his Cisc-o-Fone!"

      --
      #naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
    2. Re:simple solution by TomHandy · · Score: 3, Funny

      I have a hard time believing that he would ever make an obvious promotional statement like that. Don't you know that Disco Stu doesn't advertise?

  3. Re:Name stealing nothing new. by Lars+T. · · Score: 1, Funny

    If Apple can't come up with an own good name they just take someone elses. This isn't exactly the first time.

    Apple - Sued by Apple records
    Unix - Sued by Open Group
    iPhone - Sued by Cisco

    idiot - sued by you.
    --

    Lars T.

    To the guy who modded me down from perfect to terrible Karma - Apple haters still suck

  4. Re:Name stealing nothing new. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    >idiot - sued by you.

    iDiot

    Err: 1D10T

  5. Re:Looks great but by Dunbal · · Score: 1, Funny

    Can I Make a Beowulf Cluster of those iPhones ?

          Would that make it an iBeowulf Cluster, or a Beowulf iCluster? Damn, I'm so confused! Who do we sue next?

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
  6. So that's it! by BillGatesLoveChild · · Score: 4, Funny

    If this checks out, Youch! Everyone was wondering what was behind Apple so brazenly using the iPhone trademark. Cringely wrote a whole piece on it http://pbs.org/cringely but no one guessed something as simple as this!

    Memo to self: Don't play Poker with Steve Jobs.

  7. Why aPhone? by Bright+Apollo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Y'know, seeing as how it's an Apple product, they can rebrand the whole of their catalog (usher in the new era of Apple Inc). That way you can own aMac and aPhone and aServer with aWirelessLAN. Of course, you could also get aLife...

    -BA

  8. Too Late Buddy by thedbp · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. Unclear, unjustified war in a sovereign nation - Check.
    2. National obsession with dance at the expense of expanded consciousness - Check.
    3. Horrific fashion - Check.
    4. Youth culture co-opted by advertising - Check.
    5. Government stomping all over personal liberty - Check.

    Sorry, dude, you're too late. The Seventies are back in force.

  9. Re:You Know What This Proves? by Emetophobe · · Score: 2, Funny
    The existence of the iTimeMachine.
    So thats where those backdated stocks came from...