Apple pushing for multi-touch trademark

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
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.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 69
    meh 2meh 2 Posts: 149member
    They are smart to nail down both U.S. and foreign intellectual property rights as fast as possible.
  • Reply 2 of 69
    I have a feeling they apple will be incorporating this technology into other products they have.

    I hope so!
  • Reply 3 of 69
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    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...
  • Reply 4 of 69
    This is retarded and hopefully will be rejected. Multi-Touch is too generic and has a history of use before Apple.
  • Reply 5 of 69
    plusplus Posts: 54member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Wojciechowski View Post


    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?
  • Reply 6 of 69
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by plus View Post


    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.
  • Reply 7 of 69
    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.
  • Reply 8 of 69
    tsvissertsvisser Posts: 36member
    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







    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?
  • Reply 9 of 69
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tsvisser View Post


    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.
  • Reply 10 of 69
    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.
  • Reply 11 of 69
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChevalierMalFet View Post


    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.
  • Reply 12 of 69
    citycity Posts: 522member
    Wow "Multi-Touch" is going to change everything. I am going to hold off buying a laptop until next year when I expect a totally Multi-Touch 15 inch ultra thin tablet. There will be no actual keyboard or pad. The keyboad and controls will be on the screen and I can drag and open files with my fingers. It will look like a big upright iPhone without the chin and forehead.
  • Reply 13 of 69
    fraklincfraklinc Posts: 244member
    with people filing patent for anything they can think of, apple inc will be fools not to do so now, if they have not done so already, i can't even believe people can file a patent for and idea, and just wait for someone to create a product similar to yours and wait for them to hit it big, and then sue the heck out of then, nice right, remember you thought about it first if someone makes money on it, and if someone gets hurt because of it all you have to do is not go public
  • Reply 14 of 69
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aqua OS X View Post


    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.
  • Reply 15 of 69
    dentondenton Posts: 725member
    And to extend apon what mel said, if Apple didn't try, then someone else would. Then what would Apple do, stop using the word "multi-touch"? or pay a hefty yearly sum to keep using the word? It's better for Apple to try. They will either fail, in which case then anyone can use it, or they will succeed and block the jerk who will try to extort money out of Apple.
  • Reply 16 of 69
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Apple doesn't have a hope in hell of winning this one. They may as well try and Trademark® lower case 'i'.
  • Reply 17 of 69
    aisiaisi Posts: 134member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    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)
  • Reply 18 of 69
    darkstardarkstar Posts: 2member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    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.
  • Reply 19 of 69
    aqua os xaqua os x Posts: 49member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by melgross View Post


    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 ™
  • Reply 20 of 69
    aqua os xaqua os x Posts: 49member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DarkStar View Post


    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.
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