Fujitsu Readies Lawsuit Over "iPad" Name

gyrogeerloose writes "In an event eerily reminiscent of Cisco's suit over Apple's use of the 'iPhone' name, Japanese firm Fujitsu is consulting its attorneys in preparation for going to court over Apple's use of 'iPad' for its latest computing device. Quoted in a New York Times story, Masahiro Yamane, director of Fujitsu's public relations division, said 'It's our understanding that the name is ours.' Fujitsu's application to trademark the iPad name stalled because of an earlier filing by another company and the US Patent and Trademark Office listed Fujitsu's application as abandoned in early 2009, but the company revived its application in June. Apple, which has applied for an international trademark on 'iPad' through a proxy company, has filed a number of requests with the US Patent Office for more time to oppose Fujitsu's application."

Comments

Better name

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple should call it "MacsiPad" instead to both avoid a lawsuit and appeal to female consumers.

Re:Better name

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple should call it "MacsiPad" instead to both avoid a lawsuit and appeal to female consumers.

It can be done. It will require some adjustments to their accounting. They may have to wait for their next period. Then again, you never know if it's that time of the month of their cycle and they can make adjustments the books without bleeding red. The shareholders would be quite crabby if their earnings don't flow as usual.

Re:Better name

[Anonymous Coward]

...and this is why slash dotters don't have girlfriends.

no. I dont have girlfriends because my wife wont let me.

Apple should let Fujitsu have it...

[Sebilrazen]

and spin this as a terrible loss, which will unfortunately cause them to come up with a better name.

Moses has dibs on the Tablet...

[genghisjahn]

As in stone tablets for all you FSM heretics that never went to Sunday school. However, even with a young earth, it should have entered the public domain by now.

Re:Apple please change the name...

[IANAAC]

I might sue Apple for reminding me of my childhood trauma of being dragged into that particular aisle of the grocery store by my mother.

I take it you're not married.

Re:Apple please change the name...

[Kral_Blbec]

You are really worried about appearing manly while using an Apple product? Kind of a lost cause at that point anyway.

Re:welp

[adisakp]

Ipad as a name is about as bad as it can get for apple, due to all the jokes and the SNL skit. Is itablet also trademarked?

It's actually a MAD TV Skit

iFlatThingWithoutAKeyboard

[jgagnon]

I'm pretty sure that name is available.

The distance some go to defend Apple

[linumax]

Bullshit! MagTek has an IPAD product, and has filed the trademark in 2000 which was later granted and then extended several times. Even Fujitus was and is after the name for their product much longer than Apple.

knowing full well that Apple prefixes all their products with an i

Apple doesn't own "iX" and it shouldn't get any special treatment. If it wants a trademark then should apply for it like everyone else. In this case it's late to the game, in fact too late.

Re:welp

[MichaelSmith]

Another great reason not to use twitter!

You're missing a rather important wrinkle...

[itsdapead]

Bullshit! MagTek has an IPAD product

Now look closer. The MagTek device in your link is a point-of-sale card swipe terminal, presumably sold mainly to the retail industry.

Now look at TFA. The Fujitsu iPad is a point-of-sale card-swipe terminal sold mainly to the retail industry.

The Apple iPad, meanwhile, is a consumer appliance, conspicuously lacking a card-swipe device and is not primarily targeted at the point-of-sale market.

Or, in other words, MagTek have Fujitsu banged to rights for infringing their trademark, whereas Apple have a strong argument that they're not operating in the same market.