AppleInsider Staff
Nearly three months after first protecting the "HealthKit" moniker in the small island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Apple has officially filed paperwork to expand that protection to the U.S. and the European Union.
Apple is asking EU trademark authorities for protection under classifications 9, 10, 14, and 44. Those categories cover computers and peripherals and health, fitness, and medical sensors and services, as well as timekeeping devices — including watches, watch bands, and jewelry.
The company's filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was more generic, listing only "computer software used in developing other software applications" and "application development software."
It is unclear whether the European classifications simply represent an attempt by Apple to prevent unauthorized use of its trademark by wearable device manufacturers who may wish to advertise their products as being "HealthKit compatible," or if they point more directly at the so-called "iWatch." Apple updated its American trademark status earlier this year to cover jewelry, clocks, and watches.
Similar filings for "Healthbook," the user-facing iOS application that displays and collates data from devices that integrate with HealthKit, have yet to appear. Another trademark thought to have been registered by Apple earlier in 2014 — "iResearch" — is also absent.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
5 Comments
They must be pretty confident of their ability to defend on this if they've waited this long to even file in the US. Seems to me it would be much better if they had filed the day the name was announced.
They must be pretty confident of their ability to defend on this if they've waited this long to even file in the US. Seems to me it would be much better if they had filed the day the name was announced.
to me, HeathKit will see a resurgance in mis hits;-)
and is there any word on any apple domain applications in Hong Kong (.hk)?
I am curious of the psychological impact that these types of health devices will have on people's behaviour. Particularly negative consequences: 1.People who play with their retainers in their mouth. 2. People that mess with their pacemaker by flipping it under the skin and causing wires to come out. 3. Paients and families in icu's that go crazy with disturbed sleep watching their vitals on monitor. 4. I have seen other folks go crazy worrying about their lofe sustaining pumps for various meds. Biofeedback (such as your pulse) which is all this really is... Can have negative neurosis inducing consequences. I hope these guys are lawyered up as usual... Nothing like a mega-mass-market device to discover the potential consequences. Not to mention all the falss alarms and whatnot that are likely to cause concern and expenditure.
At a quick glance of this article heading, I thought why is Apple protecting the HeathKit name ?
my problem with the healthkit trademark is that is too close to the trademark for the electronic kits that were know as heathkit... but that was 30-40 years ago. so, maybe it is just me... i have to look twice to see that it is healthkit, not heathkit.