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Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

bonobolabs.com

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Re: Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

#3

Post by megaman821 »

I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass.

So my question to the fans of Apple, what is the limit? What would Apple have to do to turn you away from their platform?

Re: Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

#4

Post by jasonlotito »

You can't take product's name and use that product's name in your product when your product is about the original product without the owner's consent, even if the word is common. I find it funny that Bonobo would wonder that Retina is trademarked, considering the parent company is known as Apple.

Bonobo might feel they are in the right, but Unretina is using Retina specifically because of Apple's product, and it's directly related.

Just because a word is common doesn't mean you can't trademark it. I can't create a PC called the unApple and stand in shock when Apple comes calling.

Re: Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

#5

Post by itg »

megaman821 wrote: post #3

I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. So my question to the fans of Apple, what is the limit? What would Apple have to do to turn you away from their platform?

I feel as if every little thing Apple does get reported/blogged about and you have all this faux-outrage and people trying to make stories where there aren't any. I don't know of any other company that get scrutinized so hard. I hardly think Apple gets a free pass when it comes to the tech community.

Re: Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

#6

Post by jasonlotito »

steipete wrote: post #2

They got the trademark, even if it's ridiculous, Apple won't back down on that one. Rename or get removed. Even if I don't approve that "Retina" can be registered at all. But so did "Windows" ...

It's fine. Apple®. Logic®. New York®. Tiger®. Spaces®. Tubes®. Time Machine®.

Re: Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

#8

Post by jasonlotito »

megaman821 wrote: post #3

I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. So my question to the fans of Apple, what is the limit? What would Apple have to do to turn you away from their platform?

> I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass.

I'm confused. Are you saying MS and Adobe should be able to protect their trademark, or that they shouldn't?

Re: Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name

#9

Post by DougBTX »

megaman821 wrote: post #3

I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. So my question to the fans of Apple, what is the limit? What would Apple have to do to turn you away from their platform?

You've picked a bad article to make this point - if someone tried to re-brand OpenOffice as "MS Office" you can be sure that Microsoft would defend its trademarks, and you'd never see it on HN. But when Apple does the same, it is front page "news". Hardly a free pass.
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