Apple pushing for multi-touch trademark
Apple Inc. wants to guard its name for the iPhone's signature interface through a trademark, but has ventured outside American borders as part of the process.
On the same day as its first touchscreen devices were rolling into stores, June 29th, Apple was quietly applying for a trademark in a Far East intellectual property office for the term "multi-touch" -- a cornerstone of the company's iPhone marketing efforts in the US.
If successful, Apple would have the right to restrict use of the phrase by other companies for more than just cellphones, according to the filing. Most handhelds, including media players and PDAs, would be covered by the trademark.
Companies producing electronics outside of Apple's typical boundaries would also find themselves barred from referring to "multi-touch" under the conditions set out by the document: video game consoles and televisions are equally addressed, the company says.
The concept behind the interface has proven increasingly important to Apple since its introduction, with analysts already calling it a "mega-platform" that could be used for a slew of new products beyond handhelds. Multiple patents have already been filed that would extend the area- and gesture-sensitive technique to computer mice, in addition to those patents announced by chief executive Steve Jobs during his Macworld San Francisco keynote in January.
Whether or not the iPhone maker's belief in the control mechanism will be supported by the law is unknown, as the application is currently under review.
On the same day as its first touchscreen devices were rolling into stores, June 29th, Apple was quietly applying for a trademark in a Far East intellectual property office for the term "multi-touch" -- a cornerstone of the company's iPhone marketing efforts in the US.
If successful, Apple would have the right to restrict use of the phrase by other companies for more than just cellphones, according to the filing. Most handhelds, including media players and PDAs, would be covered by the trademark.
Companies producing electronics outside of Apple's typical boundaries would also find themselves barred from referring to "multi-touch" under the conditions set out by the document: video game consoles and televisions are equally addressed, the company says.
The concept behind the interface has proven increasingly important to Apple since its introduction, with analysts already calling it a "mega-platform" that could be used for a slew of new products beyond handhelds. Multiple patents have already been filed that would extend the area- and gesture-sensitive technique to computer mice, in addition to those patents announced by chief executive Steve Jobs during his Macworld San Francisco keynote in January.
Whether or not the iPhone maker's belief in the control mechanism will be supported by the law is unknown, as the application is currently under review.
Comments
I hope so!
This is retarded and hopefully will be rejected. Multi-Touch is too generic and has a history of use before Apple.
Then someone should point that out to Microsloth (or to the USPTO) in regard to their trademark on the term "Windows", eh?
Then someone should point that out to Microsloth (or to the USPTO) in regard to their trademark on the term "Windows", eh?
Not so, they have a registered trademark on the term Microsoft Windows. Windows is too generic.
Ever since the iPhone showed that this kind of interface was responsive on relatively cheaper computer hardware, I've had visions of automated house/kitchen electronics being controller by a central computer or even iPhone.
dos dedos
two finger shuffle
mr. pointy and his next door neighbor
i'm applying for the patents... any companies that want to license, let me know
obvious invention? technology not actually invented by apple? perhaps "multi-touch" specifically can be patented, and the concept is sort of new, but after awhile at what point do patents become ridiculous? should disney sue all manufacturers of the mouse? should we forgive monster cable for suing monster.com, monster energy drink, and a whole slew of other companies that have "monster" in their name?
non-singular touch
dos dedos
two finger shuffle
mr. pointy and his next door neighbor
i'm applying for the patents... any companies that want to license, let me know
Just apply for "Extreme" & "X-treme" and you will make your money back in an hour.
If Apple named their product "Multi-Touch" instead of "iPhone" then they might have a point. But trying to copyright the description "Multi-Touch" is going too far.
As someone who has been designing multi-touch products, well before the world was hypnotized by the iPhone, I find this immensely annoying. Hopefully someone like MS will take them to court if they're awarded this registered trademark. Lord knows no one else has the money in this industry.
ugh. Apple, I love your products, but this is complete bullshit.
I wonder if they've even tried to patent pinching and two-finger tapping... gestures that Apple did NOT create.
Is prior art relevant to Trademarks? I doubt it? also, it wouldn't stop others from using multi-touch or similar technologies, merely it would stop them being referenced as specifically multi-touch.
Ever since the iPhone showed that this kind of interface was responsive on relatively cheaper computer hardware, I've had visions of automated house/kitchen electronics being controller by a central computer or even iPhone.
If it there is substantial documentation proving generic use, it would make it substantially more difficult for Apple to claim copyright or get a registered trademark... it's like trying to trademark "The War on Terror"... it's so common now, ownership would be nearly impossible.
I'm sorry, but this is BS trademark abuse and it's probably going to get approved by idiots who don't know any better. As SpamSandwich noted the term "multi-touch" predates Apple use of it. It can, at the very least, be tracked back to Bill Buxton in the 80's. It may even go back to Myron Krueger.
As someone who has been designing multi-touch products, well before the world was hypnotized by the iPhone, I find this immensely annoying. Hopefully someone like MS will take them to court if they're awarded this registered trademark. Lord knows no one else has the money in this industry.
ugh. Apple, I love your products, but this is complete bullshit.
I wonder if they've even tried to patent pinching and two-finger tapping... gestures that Apple did NOT create.
None of that has anything to do with trademarks.
A company can still apply for one even if the term has been used before, but hasn't been trademarked.
Apple doesn't have a hope in hell of winning this one. They may as well try and Trademark® lower case 'i'.
Is that one worse than AirPort, Aqua, Bonjour, Boot Camp, Carbon, Cocoa, Exposé, FairPlay, Keynote, Logic, Pages, Quartz, Rosetta, Soundtrack, or Tubes? (Apple Trademark List)
NFW. Prior art, Apple, prior art. The term multi-touch could be trademarked by Jeff Han, or many others even before him, if cursory research on the term is accurate...
Hi SpamSandwich, I think if you look closely again many do not call it "muti-touch" has with BellLabs "AT&T" now, or Citywall "Uix" they call their's multimodal interfaces. Same with other too! Except for Jeff Han he always refers to it has MultiTouch, has he himself says it's not the technology that's a breakthough but his implementation off it! Mostly his software Pixel the hardware he himself says has been made simple & cheap!
I remember Apple working on such devices before in the mid eighties that's why there was those future concepts such has the Navigator but also desktops systems ?/Desktop/Proto08b.jpg
http://www.theapplecollection.com/de...proto/002.html
This was showen in 92 but then dropped, their were many others which have now resurfaced with the return of SJ "?TV", iMac & iPhone which started back of late 1999 hardware wise 2001. the hardware is referred to has Multi-touch has to the others being mostly software but all using the same hardware (which is not the same has Apple Multi-touch hardware & has mentioned above impending patent.
None of that has anything to do with trademarks.
A company can still apply for one even if the term has been used before, but hasn't been trademarked.
Trademarks do not have to be registered in the US. You can still take someone to court if you did not register a trademark.
remember... there's ® but there's also ™
Hi SpamSandwich, I think if you look closely again many do not call it "muti-touch" has with BellLabs "AT&T" now, or Citywall "Uix" they call their's multimodal interfaces. Same with other too! Except for Jeff Han he always refers to it has MultiTouch, has he himself says it's not the technology that's a breakthough but his implementation off it! Mostly his software Pixel the hardware he himself says has been made simple & cheap!
I remember Apple working on such devices before in the mid eighties that's why there was those future concepts such has the Navigator but also desktops systems ?/Desktop/Proto08b.jpg
http://www.theapplecollection.com/de...proto/002.html
This was showen in 92 but then dropped, their were many others which have now resurfaced with the return of SJ "?TV", iMac & iPhone which started back of late 1999 hardware wise 2001. the hardware is referred to has Multi-touch has to the others being mostly software but all using the same hardware (which is not the same has Apple Multi-touch hardware & has mentioned above impending patent.
The term "multi-touch," as it has applied to products, research, and academia, dates back to the mid to early 80s. Search a journal database, or start browsing around on Bill Buxton's web site.