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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."

4 of 162 comments (clear)

  1. Name stealing nothing new. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    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

  2. Re:In Europe too! by MrCoke · · Score: 0, Troll

    True. And why would Cisco use it when Apple is negotiating a sweet deal with them !!!

    Good stalling tactics too.

  3. I dunno... by McFadden · · Score: -1, Troll
    With the Declaration, you are required to file a copy of a label or other packaging showing the trademark in use.

    Whether or not anyone thinks it's acceptable, possibly (IANAL) the label stating "iPhone" on the packaging is a "copy of a label" as stated in the requirements to prove use of a trademark. Just because it's Apple (and let's face it, there are few companies that create such fanatical fanboyism) it doesn't mean they have an automatic right to own the world. Or should everyone just roll over and give them everything they want, whenever they want?

    Disclaimer: I live in Japan. Fuck... we've had 90% of the "5 years ahead of anything else" iPhone features for ages now.

  4. EGH! OLPC is very dumb by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    and gay.