Apple Infringes on Mac Pro Trademark. Mac-Pro.com gears for defense.
Apple Infringes on Mac Pro Trademark. Mac-Pro.com gears for defense.
Mac Pro is a trademark of Mac Pro, in San Jose, California. We are the Largest Independent Mac Only Store in the USA. Apple has a uphill battle if they think they can use our trademark and corporate name to promote a computer for purely marketing purposes.
Mac Pro is about complete service to the Mac Community, and a web site that features everything for the Mac not just models and support for latest generation computers.
Apple attempts to use the New Zealand trademark filed in November 2005 to expidite the lengthy process of reserving the name here in the USA. However, Mac Pro of San Jose, California, a California Corporation has been using the name since 1988.
I would hate to put a injunction against Apple, and stop the release of there much anticipated computer tower.
Mike Ajlouny
President
www.mac-pro.com
Mac Pro is a trademark of Mac Pro, in San Jose, California. We are the Largest Independent Mac Only Store in the USA. Apple has a uphill battle if they think they can use our trademark and corporate name to promote a computer for purely marketing purposes.
Mac Pro is about complete service to the Mac Community, and a web site that features everything for the Mac not just models and support for latest generation computers.
Apple attempts to use the New Zealand trademark filed in November 2005 to expidite the lengthy process of reserving the name here in the USA. However, Mac Pro of San Jose, California, a California Corporation has been using the name since 1988.
I would hate to put a injunction against Apple, and stop the release of there much anticipated computer tower.
Mike Ajlouny
President
www.mac-pro.com
Comments
Also, to my knowledge, Apple's trademark policies on usage of "Mac" in anything computer-related are rather limited (much more so than they used to be), so this could easily backlash.
Originally posted by macpross
Apple Infringes on Mac Pro Trademark. Mac-Pro.com gears for defense.
Mac Pro is a trademark of Mac Pro, in San Jose, California. We are the Largest Independent Mac Only Store in the USA. Apple has a uphill battle if they think they can use our trademark and corporate name to promote a computer for purely marketing purposes.
Mac Pro is about complete service to the Mac Community, and a web site that features everything for the Mac not just models and support for latest generation computers.
Apple attempts to use the New Zealand trademark filed in November 2005 to expidite the lengthy process of reserving the name here in the USA. However, Mac Pro of San Jose, California, a California Corporation has been using the name since 1988.
I would hate to put a injunction against Apple, and stop the release of there much anticipated computer tower.
Mike Ajlouny
President
www.mac-pro.com
Let's face it. You're already trading on the Mac trademark as it is. Your very existence depends on it. You don't compete with Apple, you depend on them. This thread is a joke.
Originally posted by macpross
Apple, Rational? Are we talking about the same company?
Well sir, I know nothing of your business, but I now know that you are not above a litigious money grab, which doesn't exactly build confidence.
How would Apple selling the "MacPro" hurt your business, again? People are going to become confused if you are a store or a computer? "Let's go over to Mac Pro and pick up some stuff" "What? MacPro is Apple's professional tower! What you say makes no sense! Run away!"
If anything, I would think casual googling for MacPro info would drive traffic to your site.
Originally posted by macpross
I would hate to put a injunction against Apple, and stop the release of there much anticipated computer tower.
Well then DONT!
Sure, I feel sorry for you, but when your entire corprate stratagy is based on the actions of another company, not what YOU do, then you really have no room to speak...you do good stuff no question, but you ride on Apples coat tails, that is a risk you assumed when you took the name of what is an apple trademark!
You gambled and you lost, now do what every business has to do; adapt or die!
Good luck.
This isnt how this sort of thing is handled, you would hier a law firm, file the papers, and get the ball rolling, then the LAW FIRM would put out a press release, not the Presedent! And it would appear on Mac Daily News, or Mac World, or Wierd...not Apple Insider, I mean, no offence, but Apple doesnt exactly like us...
If you had a case, your post may have just retarded or destriyed it!
And just to be a dick, allow me to say that MacMall.com is the one stop shop for all of your Mac needs!
What good did you think would come from whining to us? We don't like whiners. We don't shop at your company. I had never heard of your company before reading your post, but I have been a Mac user since 1987, longer than your dear company has been in existence. Product and company association goes to Apple, not you.
If Apple had not made the Mac, would you have chosen the Vaio and named yourselves Vaio-Pro? Get a life and create a good name for your company and then use the phrase Mac Pros to modify it, but don't use another company's product name as your own.
Originally posted by macpross
Apple, Rational? Are we talking about the same company?
No, no, Rational got bought by IBM a while ago.
1) Your business depends on the well being of Apples products. Without Apple's products you are nothing. Consider that before getting cheeky with apple.
2) The use of "Mac Pro" for one of Apple's products will have two positive effects for your company. The first is that your site will get a lot more traffic per the increased googling of the term Mac Pro. Second, this allows you to create a "Mac Pro from Mac Pro" marketing campaign.
3) I've heard of manufacturing companies denying sales to retail companies that cause them problems. I think this is actually legal. If Apple did that to you, you'd be hosed now wouldn't you?
Lost of companies use Apple or Mac in their names to signify specialization in services and there is nothing wrong with that. MacMall for example, ApplePolish, iTrip, just to name a few. I know if I look for a computer repair place, it is nice to know they understand Macs without calling.
If you loose business and can prove it, than defiantly make a case, otherwise I say cooperate and perhaps make some sort of deal. Worse comes to worst, a name change to Mac-Pros would at least differentiate you from the new computer and, in my opinion, better promote your knowledge and expertise in all Macintosh equipment.
BUT ve very careful how you precede. Apple fanatics are not always, um, logical, and there may be backlash. You don't want this to turn into another TigerDirect fiasco.
PS: Mac-Pro saved my butt several times with data recovery.
Originally posted by Kickaha
No, no, Rational got bought by IBM a while ago.
I think the court will easily find that the retail market and the computer market are two different things, and hence there's sufficient differentiation, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Hell, the defense could even reference Apple Corps v. Apple Comp, although that was British law, I think.
Steve Jobs devour a life infant and it would be ok with the Internet Mac nuts.
Originally posted by Telomar
If anything having a computer named similarly would gain them business. At the end of the day for this case to be anything but frivolous they need to be able to prove by Apple calling the computer that that it in some way impacted on them, that's frankly a bit tough. They'll never win a trademark suit since as has already been pointed out, Apple owns the Mac trademark.
Well, what about macpro.com, Apple would need that domain, they have macbook.com, powermac.com, ipod.com and so on, and I could honestly see them winning, Mac was their trademark first, and selling and serviceing computers could be considered direct competition to the apple store, both retail and online/phone -- and I get the feeling that 1-800-My-Apple or an equivelant was up and selling long before 1988-- thus it is direct competition, and the way mac-pro uses the Mac name, it is obvious, even to "an idiot in a hurry" that they are marketing Apples computer systems.