Apple Threatens Bistro Over "AppleADay" Name

itwbennett writes "In today's edition of David v. Goliath, Apple lawyers have sent cease and desist letters to a tiny health food restaurant in Luxembourg named AppleADay. For their part, the owners of AppleADay, with help from a lawerly friend, have promised that they would continue to sell only food, not computers. Of course, Apple knows as well as anyone that promises are made to be broken, having famously promised Apple Corps, the Beatles' production company, they would never get into the music business."

Comments

They should change their name

[Megane]

...to iAppleADay

Why are they such assholes?

[AngryDeuce]

I mean, NOBODY is going to confuse them for the Apple Store. This is just petty.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[Nadaka]

Trademark lawyer, not patent lawyer.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[haruchai]

Just because Steve Jobs is dead doesn't mean Apple is all out of assholes.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[bonch]

This is a trademark issue, not a patent issue. Trademark owners have to defend it or risk losing it.

That, of course, won't stop the Slashdotters from freaking out over nothing. Notice the article was submitted by the ITWorld author who wrote it. He knew exactly what he was doing and how this readership would react. It's all about page views. This story isn't even new; it dates back to late August.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[Anonymous Coward]

They're not "assholes." They have to exert effort in defending their trademark or risk losing it.

This is not true in this context. They only have to defend it where relevant. Going after a tiny health food restaurant is not, unless Apple have plans to enter into that market.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[king neckbeard]

Yes, trademarks must be defended, but this is not an instance of that because Apple's trademark doesn't cover bistros.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[englishknnigits]

Apple already sued New York them over their recycling program which featured a logo that had an apple in it. Apple lost.

Re:Why are they such assholes?

[PopeRatzo]

Now, instead of worrying about a job, you have to worry about healthcare

No, I can afford healthcare. My worry is about health not health care.

Other considerations, such as Social Security and most other AARP talking points, are going to be ones that you can now sympathize with

Not yet. I'm still more than a decade away from those things. I won't need Social Security to live unless there is a catastrophe of such magnitude that Social Security wouldn't matter anyway.

OTOH, folks who are older and retired are less confident, to the point of knowing that someday, dependency on others for their care will be something that they have to deal with

You think you won't get old and infirm? I study and teach Chinese martial arts. My teacher is 87 and has such an optimistic view of his own life that he just planted plum trees in his yard, despite the fact that they won't bear fruit for 10-15 years. Now that's a worldview I emulate.

I am saying that retirement doesn;t necessarily mean that you've suddenly become an objective judge of the world. It only trades old fears for new ones.

My only fear is for my daughter's future, and that, friend, is something that focuses one's attention on current affairs like nothing else. I never worried much about politics or economics while I was working. I was too busy making a living. There is a reason why in most cultures, older people are respected and their opinions are sought. Now in my mid-50s, I'm sort of too old to be young and too young to be old. But I've got energy, literacy, and the time to pay attention.

Now, having said all that, there's no fool like an old fool, so I try to remember that I'm usually full of shit.

This just in!

[JustAnotherIdiot]

Apple sues Mother Nature for making a fruit with the same name.

Is AppleHole a word yet?

[glowimperial]

Because if not, it should be.

They have to

[bonch]

First, this story is months old and dates back to late August. Second, contrary to the headline, they're not threatening over the "AppleADay" name but the logo.

Third, as is pointed out every time an incident like this occurs, trademark owners have to take no chances and must enforce perceived violations or risk losing their right to it. There is always the risk that a court somewhere in the world might cite the lack of action in some particular case. But, since it's a "David v. Goliath" article, as the summary put it, it's an excellent story to submit to Slashdot and rile up the natives.

Re:They have to

[Zancarius]

To my untrained eye, I have a hard time seeing how they could sue over the logo. It looks nothing like the Apple Computer, Inc. logo! I realize your intentions were to attempt to absolve Apple of wrongdoing, but I think that link has succeeded in helping me decide that this suit is/was even more petty than I gleaned from TFA.

Yes, there's the issue of trademark dilution, but I think this is far beyond ridiculous.

Re:They have to

[YrWrstNtmr]

Second, contrary to the headline, they're not threatening over the "AppleADay" name but the logo

It looks like...a drawing of an apple. Hard to depict an apple without it looking like an apple.
But there are significant differences. Hollow, 2 leaves on top, no bite out of the right side, different color.

Re:This is what happens...

[Translation Error]

This is what happens when lawyers have too much time on their hands.

Yes. Clearly, the optimal solution is to remove lawyers' hands at once.

Slow newsday ?

[CharlyFoxtrot]

Orignal story dates from the 5th of may (6 month old stories now Slashdot, really ?) There was a flurry of news reporting and no updates since then, not even on their Facebook page where the restaurant gleefully displayed its new found notoriety. So I'm guessing it turned out to be very much a non-story played up for advertising value.