Roger Fingas
A Chinese clothing brand, Kon, is suing Apple for copyright infringement, claiming that the logo for the iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra App Stores too closely resembles its own.
Kon is demanding financial compensation and a public apology, as well as an injunction against infringing devices, Phone Radar said on Tuesday. The case was filed through a Beijing court, and a judgment will allegedly be rendered within the next few weeks.
Both logos share a triangular "stick" design. The current App Store emblem is an abstract version of an earlier one, in which the sticks were a pencil, brush, and ruler.
The close similarity of the logos could make the lawsuit unusually difficult for Apple. A strong possibility is that Apple will choose to settle, as it eventually did in the matter of a Chinese leather goods company using the "iPhone" name.
A deal would likely allow Apple to keep using the latest App Store graphics in iOS, macOS, and related marketing. The company could revert, but would have to spend millions of dollars in rebranding.
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
61 Comments
Well...
By the way, this is actually one of their shirts. LOL! (Source: http://www.itskon.com/konxmandrill/ )
Apple should not hire graphic designers who are in China, maybe? Respect for copyrighted materials is virtually nonexistent there.
Technically this isn't copyright infringement since you can't copyright a logo. You can only trademark a logo. I don't see how this company has a case since Apple isn't selling clothes.