Apple Is Attempting To Trademark Actual Apples—Yes, The Fruit

At first, the news that “Apple is trying to trademark apples” may not sound amiss. However, it turns out that the technology giant isn’t looking into securing the rights over images of its gadgets but is targeting the actual fruit.

This issue first surfaced in 2017 when the company submitted an application to the Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) in an attempt to secure the rights to a black-and-white picture of a Granny Smith apple.

That’s not all. The IPI partially granted Apple’s request in 2022, though citing a caveat that generic imagery of common items, like actual apples, are typically considered to be in the public domain and cannot be owned by a single entity.

Fast forward to now, and it appears the maker of the iPhone isn’t too keen on the ruling. According to Mashable, the firm recently launched a follow-up appeal, which remains under wraps as the case is still ongoing.

As Global Village Space noted, should Apple be granted the trademark of generic images of apples, it could spell far-reaching consequences beyond technology. For example, the 111-year-old Fruit Union Suisse (FUS) could be made to change its logo of a red apple with a Swiss cross.

Could this mean that food and beverage companies, restaurants, and bakeries all over the world would soon be forced to remove the use of apples from their emblems or be required to fork out royalties to Apple in order to keep the images? One can only wait and see.

[via Mashable and Global Village Space, cover image via Diego Vito Cervo | Dreamstime.com]