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Apple, New York City In Legal Dispute Over Logo

Lemmy Caution writes "Apple, Inc. has filed a suit to prevent New York City's non-profit 'GreeNYC' initiative from using a logo that incorporates an apple in its design. Commentators have noted the substantial differences between the two designs, not to mention the irony of this sort of infringement claim. The city of New York has filed to have the claim rejected, and even possibly the cancellation of Apple's logo in light of the long history of the nickname 'The Big Apple' to describe the city."

18 of 254 comments (clear)

  1. I REALLY hope Apple wins... by Cedric+Tsui · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I REALLY hope Apple wins and NYC's logo is thrown out.
    There's no one better suited to start rolling back absurd property rights than a city full of pissed off politicians.

    1. Re:I REALLY hope Apple wins... by peragrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      actually I hope it goes the over way. Apple needs to be shown that not every apple is their's.

      The two logo's don't look anything like each other. NYC's is missing the giant bite for starters.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    2. Re:I REALLY hope Apple wins... by k2enemy · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think you may have misunderstood the parent. Of course Apple's claim is ridiculous, but with the current state of intellectual property law, Apple has a possibility of winning. This by itself would be BAD, but it may prompt politicians to do something about reforming IP law.

    3. Re:I REALLY hope Apple wins... by mattgoldey · · Score: 5, Funny

      Damn, dude. An apostrophe doesn't mean "Look out, here comes an S!"

    4. Re:I REALLY hope Apple wins... by omega_dk · · Score: 5, Informative

      Well, that might be true... if there were a lawsuit involved at all.

      Hey /.! How about posting about 'filing suit' when it actually happens, and not when someone lacks basic reading comprehension? Not even in TFA does it mention a legal dispute; it says it filed a challenge to NYC's trademark application.

      I believe this article needs to be tagged 'adaylateandadollarshort'

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  2. In other news by shadowofwind · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hasbro sues Idaho over infrignement on Mr. Potato Head brand

    1. Re:In other news by thegnu · · Score: 5, Funny

      It took me 15 seconds to realize that this wasn't portuguese.

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  3. apple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    god should sue them, after all they copied his design.

    1. Re:apple by Frankie70 · · Score: 4, Funny

      god should sue them, after all they copied his design.


      Yes, but why would Steve Jobs sue Apple.
  4. Rainbow and Silver by retech · · Score: 4, Funny

    Next up: Apple sues every gay pride organization and person wearing a rainbow for their old (shitty) logo infringement.

    After that: Apple will sue the Universe for Mercury, Silver, Nickel, Tin, Aluminum and Lead all using the colour silver, an obvious infringement upon their new logo.

    I suppose Jobs will start suing anyone who wears a turtleneck while giving Keynote presentations.

    Please someone (namely the judges), stop the madness.

  5. In Other News by Enderandrew · · Score: 4, Funny

    A twelve-year old boy posted on his blog that he really wants an iPod for his birthday, but is considering holding out for Christmas, hoping that the next iteration of the iPod will be out by then. Apple assumes someone broke an NDA on the release date of the next iPod, and they are suing the poor boy, and everyone he has friended on MySpace. Tom was not available for comment.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
  6. Re:What graphics artists have said... by the_humeister · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's like saying that cars look alike because they have a hood, driver/passenger doors, trunk, and 4 doors. There are only so many ways to draw an apple before it stops looking like an apple. These logos are clearly nothing alike in the ways that matter.

  7. Re:Apple may actually have a case by Kalriath · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What the hell is that designer on? The curve of the Apple logo isn't even close to the curve of the NYC apple!

    If you were to remove the Apple logo, I wouldn't even see the resemblence (because there isn't one). I hope Apple gets crushed in court.

    --
    For a site about things like basic rights, Slashdot users sure do like to censor "dissent".
  8. The differences between the logos: by argent · · Score: 4, Informative

    The apple logo is a solid apple with a bite out of its side, in a variety of color schemes (rainbow (original), red (early variant), black (on white paper), white (current logo), and blue (in the OS X title bar)). It has no stem. The leaf extends to the left. The bottom is rounded, and it is noticably "chubbier" than the NYC logo.

    The NYC logo is an outline of an apple, with no bite, and with the outline extended into a stylized infinity or possibly a "yin/yang" symbol, in green or white, with a stem and the leaf extending to the left. The bottom is a sharp indent, and the shape is slimmer than the Apple logo.

    The "stem" is a distinctive difference, it has never appeared in any Apple logo, and it has appeared in other NYC-related "big apple" artwork (for example the "Big Apple" sculptures that decorated NYC in 2004).

    Different colors, different shape, consistent with previous NYC "big Apple" icons and logos. The only difference is that the apple is more rounded and less "pear shaped", which is most likely simply due to the need to accommodate the yin/yang/infinity symbol.

  9. Re:Apple may actually have a case by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Uh, did you look at the image that you actually link to? The right side of the logo is much further out than the Apple logo, even ignoring the bite that would still be there if the explanation were true. The leaf is a completely different shape and relative size, so even the cut and paste claim there doesn't hold water.

    The very example that is supposed to prove it shows it isn't true.

  10. Re:Apple may actually have a case by Nightspirit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Those look totally different, it doesn't match the shape on the bottom left, the indentation on the bottom, and most of the right side. The only place it appears to somewhat match are the top left curve, and there are only so many ways you can draw an apple.

  11. Re:Apple may actually have a case by inflex · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Only reason they appear 'close' according to that 'designer' is because of the limited resolution and a big slice of wishful thinking. There's a lot of differences in the curve outline between the two;

    * the right hand bottom/mid side where the infinity symbol bulges out
    * the right hand top side the infinity logo again is on the inside of the apple logo
    * the left hand side the curve infinity symbol is on the -inside- of the apple logo
    * the bottom bumps of the infinity curve have a lesser curvature

    Sorry, but that guys reasoning of similarities is about as useful as saying "If you squint, then this Ford car looks clearly like this Chevy, see, it even has 4 wheels!".

  12. To the original submitter of this article -- by Ignis+Fatuusz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Please cite a reliable source that says Apple has 'filed suit' against anyone regarding this matter. You can't? I didn't think so. Apple has filed a formal opposition to a trademark application, which it must do in order to actively defend its trademark. Whether it's successful or not is irrelevant. Engadget explains the issue in detail here: http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/03/apple-vs-nyc-whats-really-going-on/ I'm not sure what disappoints me more - the sensationalist tone of the submitted piece, or the overwhelming knee-jerk reaction of folks jumping on Apple for something they didn't actually do.