I think someone from LG should send Tim Cook a gift basket for doing the dirty work for them. Apple’s beef with Sichuan Fangguo Food Co is that they’ve registered their logo in 16 different product categories, one which included notebook computers. I’m assuming they think the extra leaf treads a little too close to Apple territory but to be honest, I don’t see too much of a correlation. LG seems to have a horse in this race but they’ve remained quiet (a LG and Apple baby would have the most claim).
Fangguo CEO Zhao Yi says:
“There’s a leaf so you can tell it’s an apple, but it also contains two Chinese characters… The orientation is also different, and ours is a totally different shape… Besides, when I started Fangguo, I had never even heard of Apple.”
It might be true! Fangguo started with that logo in 1997 (just as Steve Jobs came back), I just think it’s funny how protective Apple can get over their property… even when it looks like someone else’s. [GoChengDoo via Crave UK, Image Credit: Crave UK via @EdBott]
Fanboi
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 8:27 AMOk, I am a fanboi….. but even I think this is the stupidest thing they have done today… REALLY APPLE… Give it a rest!
Matt
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9:06 AMSuch an absolute joke…
wsDK_II
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9:16 AMI support apple suing everyone, because eventually they will sue the wrong person / company and piss enough people off to start a revolt aginst them, where we can go in and trash their stores :)
i look forward to that day.
Paulie Vee
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9:18 AM+1
Jester
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9:23 AMNot sure about the ‘trashing their stores’ bit, but +1 for the ‘revolt against’ Apple!
Mudze
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 1:35 PMIt would finally rid the world of Apple, and then maybe someone will find a realistic competitor with Microsoft, lowering prices and improving technology across the board.
Fuck Apple.
wsDK_II
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 1:56 PMMan, if you got the chance to swing a bat against some smug cut out of Steve Jobs holding an iPad, would you say no?
didnt think so :)
Jackson Bison
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9:22 AMI’m getting the idea that Apple are branching out into providing legal services, and this is just part of their training…
Rahux
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 10:27 PMHah. Best theory I’ve heard so far (or just most optimistic)
ba!
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 9:54 AMI think suing is fucking stupid but i dunno, it’s fair enough- The company is called APPLE.
There’s a bunch of shit that goes into branding for a company and the goodwill associated with a brand is sometimes worth more then the company itself.
Next time you guys built a company up to one of the biggest in the world, let’s see how you do it.
I bet you’d be pissed if someone had your screen name.
+ The logo’s are similar and at a distance, even more so. My nan would mix these up.
Steve
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 10:03 PM“it’s fair enough- The company is called APPLE.”
Yes. They named a company from a ubiquitous fruit. Or do you think they came up with it first? It’s not “Apple Inc” it’s a goddamn apple fruit leaf.
Joel
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 10:41 AMApple aren’t suing cause it looks sort of like an Apple logo and they make food. Apple are suing because the company is trying to register it for things like notebook computers.
What does a food company need an apple looking trademark for computers?
If Apple was suing a food company for food related reasons with that logo it’d be stupid, but when it crosses over into computers they have a fair point to be wary and stop it if they think it can be used against them.
MrTaco
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 11:10 AMWelp, there’s your answer, fishbulb.
Jonathan
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 11:51 AMI’m so sick of these articles. Every other week there’s a post about Apple suing a company for a logo. They’re not suing, they’re filing a trademark infringement complaint. They are required to do this by law in order to keep their own trademark. Any company’s logo or trademark that is in any way similar to their own, they need to file a complaint, whether there’s really grounds for it or not. If they fail to do so, if in the future someone uses a logo that IS extremely similar to Apples, the trademark office could decide that they clearly don’t care enough about their logo because they didn’t challenge all these past ones that look kind of similar. This is the same for every other company, and it’s been covered in the comments on these posts many times before. Can we just move on?
Jim
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 12:56 PMAn Apple is a fruit that millions of people eat daily. Lets sue everyone then
Go fuck yourself Apple we HATE YOU!!!
Mike
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 1:01 PMI don’t want to live on this planet anymore…
Cam
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 1:05 PMApple attempted to, or had plans to sue Woolworths Australia over their new logo that also has a little leave on it. Woolworths have nothing to do with making electronics yet they felt the need to make a case about it.
Michael
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 8:05 PMI work for Woolies (in a entry level position, shelf filling) and there was a notic about the new logo when it came it. It was supposed to look like the peel of a fresh apple (Fresh Food People) and the opening/ welcoming arms of the company welcoming the customers into the stores (wanky PR speak if you ask me).
Don’t know what happened with the “case”, however, now that Woolies is selling Kindles, Android Phones, and even has a iphone app, clearly they are entering Apple’s domain, and will Apple sit by any longer? Or will they do what they do best? Have a hissy fit and sue?
Terry
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 1:43 PMSo I’m just wondering when Apple will set their legal dept after all the apple trees out there.
I mean.. they have things hanging from them that really do resemble their logo.
Morons.
Chris
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 2:16 PMLooks more like a grapefruit than an apple.
Joel
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 2:38 PMI like the way so many people get angry over something they’ll never hear about again and which doesn’t make any difference to anything.
Let Apple sue who they want, it doesn’t affect you, either buy their products or don’t.
Terry
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 3:49 PMActually it does indeed affect us.
we can’t get our hands on that nice Samsung slab because of Apple’s law-slappy nature.
And that’s just one very obvious example.
Steve
Thursday, September 8, 2011 at 10:05 PMNormally I’d agree, but it does indeed affect us. People who want to buy Galaxy Tabs are being denied them because of Apple litigation.
I used to say let the players do what they will, it just comes down to who gets a bigger cheque in the settlement. But in this case, Apple’s not just taking it to Samsung, but consumers.