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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

#11

Post by megaman821 »

jasonlotito wrote: post #8
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?

That aren't "enforcing" their trademark in the courts where the attempt would probably be unsuccessful, they are just threating a guy with app store removable unless he does what they say.

The trademark summary says 'Electronic hand-held game units other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor;'

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

#12

Post by megaman821 »

DougBTX wrote: post #9
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.

No it would be more like MS sues every software product with the word Office or Windows in it. Which they don't as evidenced by the existence of OpenOffice.

I am not trying to argue Microsoft is some white knight or anything else noble, just that Apple policies are worse but with better marketing.

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

#14

Post by pitdesi »

DougBTX wrote: post #9
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.

That's a great example actually... it's Open OFFICE, competing with Microsoft OFFICE, and surprisingly AFAIK Microsoft did nothing to defend that.

That being said, Apple isn't the only company going a bit overboard, as Facebook is making legal threats to LameBook, TeachBook, and PlaceBook

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

#15

Post by megaman821 »

itg wrote: post #5
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.

I am not saying the is any news conspiracy. Rather these stories do very little to dent Apple fanaticism. Unless all of these people own large portions of Apple stock, why are they so loyal to a company?

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

#16

Post by buggalug »

jasonlotito wrote: post #4

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 di…

I think you missed the point. It's a Mac app to downsize images. The trademark is for 'Electronic hand-held game units other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor;'.

Also Apple were happy with the name for the first 6 weeks of the Mac App Store being open.

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

#17

Post by tzs »

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" ...

What's ridiculous about the trademark?

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

#18

Post by tzs »

megaman821 wrote: post #11
jasonlotito wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

That aren't "enforcing" their trademark in the courts where the attempt would probably be unsuccessful, they are just threating a guy with app store removable unless he does what they say. The trademark summary says 'Electronic hand-held game units other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor;'

I don't see why they would be unsuccessful in court. "Retina" is not a term normally associated with displays, so I see no problem with it as a trademark.

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

#19

Post by wisty »

megaman821 wrote: post #12
DougBTX wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

No it would be more like MS sues every software product with the word Office or Windows in it. Which they don't as evidenced by the existence of OpenOffice. I am not trying to argue Microsoft is some white knight or anything else noble, just that Apple policies are worse but with better marketing.

I'm guessing that "Office" was already in use. "Word" certainly was (i.e. Word Perfect). So "OpenWord" would be probably be fine. On the other hand, don't try making an "OpenExcel" or an "OpenPowerpoint".

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

#20

Post by megaman821 »

pitdesi wrote: post #14
DougBTX wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

That's a great example actually... it's Open OFFICE, competing with Microsoft OFFICE, and surprisingly AFAIK Microsoft did nothing to defend that. That being said, Apple isn't the only company going a bit overboard, as Facebook is making legal threats to LameBook, TeachBook, and PlaceBook

That is partly my point, it is ridiculous no matter who is making the legal threats. The company making the threats should have no bearing on anything.
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