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I’m not sure if any two companies has ever had such a strange relationship such as Apple, Inc. and The Beatles’ Apple Corps Ltd. with the two of them duking it out over the years, mostly over how the Corps felt that Apple infringed on their logo. But now it looks like everything is all over, and the tables turned, as Apple Inc. now owns the trademark to The Beatles’ famous Apple Corps logo.
2007 marked when the two companies finally agreed to a settlement over the original trademark dispute about Apple’s logo, with that settlement giving Apple, Inc. ownership of “all of the trademarks related to ‘Apple’ and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use.”
Not content with that, Apple went further to secure its right to the trademark in 2011, and filed to secure ownership over it. Yesterday, on October 24th, Patently Apple discovered that Apple was granted ownership over the famous logo. What this means is that they could potentially use the logo to their heart’s content, but I doubt they will. It is more of a case of sweeping away the ashes of an extremely long trademark dispute, and well, owning another apple related thing. What’s next for Apple, Inc.? Actual apples? Give ‘em a few years. [Patently Apple via TUAW]
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Where are the win8 launch posts?
This is the story of Apple Inc in microcosm. Started by a couple of hippies who used the name Apple as a homage to the Beatles record label. Apple inc (then just Apple Computers) lost trademark disputes with Apple Corps and made several promises to not enter the music business all of which it proceeded to break. Largely through those broken promises Apple got so big that it was able to buy the rights to use the Apple name and logo from the remnants of Apple Corps. I suspect that when all the Beatles are dead Apple will quietly buy out Apple Corps entirely.
It has begun… First Apple Core and then Apples (the fruit) and then… THE WORLD!
Why am I suddenly expecting Apple to claim that their innovation inspired the Beatles?