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.