iPhone is a powerful name. It conjures up a the vision of a meticulously crafted phone, something that’s a pleasure to hold and pleasant to look at. Most of all it makes you think of an Apple device. Well in Brazil, that’s not necessarily the case. The “iphone” that came out there this week rocks Android 2.3. More »
Apple’s controversial Lightning connector has a name that nicely matches up with the Thunderbolt data connection. But its name caused Apple some trouble—because it had to buy the trademark from Harley-Davidson. More »
Everyone knows that Samsung is making a big Windows 8 push at IFA, but there’s new signs emerging that it might shake up its naming scheme in the process. We now know through SamMobile that Samsung has quietly snapped up a pair of trademarks with the Ativ badge that would let its branding venture beyond the Galaxy. Ativ Tab is the most conspicuous: unless Samsung is planning a shakeup of its Android slates, there’s a distinct chance we’re looking at the future name for one or more Windows 8 tablets. Ativ S is slightly more nebulous, although that very familiar oversized S raises the possibility of a high-end Windows Phone 8 smartphone like the Odyssey. Whether or not Samsung wields these trademarks later this week, or at all in the near future, is still up in the air — it may be holding on to names as a precaution rather than previewing a course of action. If the Ativ label makes its way into stores, though, it may give Samsung a much catchier (if not entirely intuitive) name for its Windows devices than Series 5 Hybrid PC.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets
Samsung trademarks Ativ Tab and Ativ S names, may give a peek into its Windows (Phone) 8 world originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Aug 2012 22:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If Microsoft can’t use the Metro name, no one else can. Not in its company-owned Windows Store, at least. An update to the Windows 8 app criteria guide explicitly tells developers that any submitted Windows Store app with Metro in the title will “fail certification” — effectively, it’s banned. There’s a certain irony to the aggressive stance on naming when Microsoft itself still mentions Metro prominently across many of its pages, but the restriction isn’t a laughing matter for developers already trying to support an OS that doesn’t ship for another two months. One of the most popular apps in the pre-release Windows Store, MetroTwit, likely faces imminent exile without a name change; there’s also worries that mass transit apps might get the boot for entirely innocuous uses of the word. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment on its legal rights in the area. In the meantime, it’s safe to say that “metro” is only to be spoken in hushed tones anywhere near Microsoft’s official content portals.
Update: Word from WPCentral is that the language restricting developers from using the Metro name wasn’t a new addition to the Windows 8 app criteria guide. Turns out, it was an older error that has since been removed. Rejoice, developers! It appears that the word is not off limits. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for confirmation and will update when we hear back.
Filed under: Software
Microsoft bans use of Metro name in Windows Store apps (Update: May not be banned after all) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Earlier this year, iPads were flying off the shelves in China — but not for the expected reasons. The slates were being removed from stores following an injunction granted to Shenzhen Proview Technology, a local firm that had laid claim to the iPad trademark. The injunction would later be rebuffed by a Shanghai court, resuming tablet sales while the dispute raged on. Today, Apple and Proview have come to a resolution, putting $60 million in Proview’s coffers and the matter to rest.
Feeling lost? Let us catch you up. Way back at the turn of the century, Proview’s Taiwan branch registered the “iPad” trademark for its Internet Personal Access Device — an all-in-one PC that wasn’t unlike Apple’s own iMac. Later on, Apple would purchase the worldwide rights to the name from the Taiwan branch, which presumably included Shenzhen Proview Technology’s claim — though the Chinese vice minister for the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) would later declare Proview the trademark’s rightful owner. Fast forward to today, and the two firms are finally settling.
According to The New York Times, Proview had originally sought as much as $400 million, but has agreed to settle for a lesser amount to help it pay its debts. Either way, Apple seems to have already transferred the sum, according to the Guangdong High People’s Court, apparently eager to put the dispute behind them.
Apple pays $60 million in iPad trademark dispute, makes peace with Proview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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