

Apple to Bonobo – Retina is trademarked, change your app name - stuartkhall
http://bonobolabs.com/apple-to-bonobo-retina-is-trademarked-change-your-app-name/

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frobozz
Not so long ago, a certain fruitily named computer manufacturer decided to
distribute music, and were sued by an older, and similarly fruitily named
record company for not only violating their trademarks, but violating a
specific agreement not to encroach on the record company's turf.

The fruitily named computer company won the case on the grounds that they were
only selling, and not producing music.

Surely the same thing applies here - Bonobo's Unretina only modifies images,
it does not provide hardware on which to display them.

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steipete
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" ...

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tzs
What's ridiculous about the trademark?

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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.

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buggalug
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.

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jfager
It is possible to have more than one trademark for a given word, and Apple has
(at least) two for "retina":

[http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4003:o8...](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4003:o8la6.2.7)
[http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4003:o8...](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4003:o8la6.2.5)

The one not mentioned in the article is for "Computers; computer hardware;
computer displays; computer software; handheld mobile digital electronic
devices used as a telephone, handheld computer, personal digital assistant,
electronic organizer, and electronic notepad, and used to access the Internet,
electronic mail, and other digital data".

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gte910h
I believe most people who get notices like this knew what they were doing, and
are using the event to get press to their product, esp since for this type
they have to change the name.

I feel a great many "think it sucks" but knew it was a danger going in, and
are fine complying.

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kmfrk
Free publicity for the price of a name change - for a free app. Everyone wins.

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pitdesi
Trademark search here... look for your favorite words! If you use the 2nd link
you can search by company (search by "owner name"), you can see all the words
that Apple/Facebook/Microsoft own

[http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&state=4010:pa...](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=tess&state=4010:pats06.1.1)

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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?

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DougBTX
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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megaman821
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.

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wisty
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".

