Apple seeks new trademark for multicolor logo, unlikely to show up at a store near you

Apple is seeking a new U.S. trademark for its iconic multicolor logo, commonly referred to as the "rainbow" logo, for use on clothing items, but don't expect to see the mark adorning products at an Apple store anytime soon.

Like many Apple filings, the company first applied for the mark in Jamaica last June. Apple's retro logo entered the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Reporting and Monitoring System (TRAM) in December and was subsequently assigned to an examiner last week.

"The mark consists of the design of an apple with a bite removed, with a detached leaf in green, and the apple divided into horizontal colored segments of the following colors (from top to bottom): green, yellow, orange, red, violet and blue," the application reads.

According to the filing, Apple's mark, if granted, can be applied to pieces of clothing, specifically hats and caps. Though the trademark was filed with an "intent to use," or ITU, it is highly unlikely that Apple will initiate sales of branded headgear or other similar products.

As a rule, the company submits marks on an ITU basis, even those it has no immediate plans of using, simply to protect the design.

Considering Apple moved away from the rainbow logo more than 20 years ago, its imminent return to the mainstream, as suggested in a breathless post by The Blast, is improbable. That said, there is an outside chance that Apple might produce a small run of commemorative gear for internal distribution or sale at its Apple Park store, where shirts bearing the same mark are already sold.

Introduced in 1977, the multicolor Apple logo was replaced in 1998 by monochrome iconography, a design scheme that has evolved to the flat apple-shaped logos seen on all company hardware and software today.