Apple bites over Woolworths logo cited from theage.com.au Julian Lee October 5, 2009 WOOLWORTHS insists its new logo is a stylised ''W'' or a piece of fresh produce. Apple thinks it is an apple, and the California-based technology company wants to stop Australia's largest retailer from using it. Apple has mounted a legal challenge to prevent Woolworths from using the logo, arguing it is too close to its own. Apple will have to convince IP Australia, the Federal Government agency that governs trademarks, to knock back Woolworths' application - filed in August last year - to trademark its logo. Apple is spooked by the fact Woolworths has gone for a blanket trademark that would allow it to slap its branding and logo on every imaginable product. Woolworths' application includes a wide class for electrical goods and technology, putting it in direct competition with Apple should the retailer choose to brand computers, music players or other devices. Woolworths has gone into credit cards and mobile phones, so the likelihood of it going into computers is not too remote. A Woolworths spokesman said: ''While we can't rule anything out, we haven't got any plans at the moment.''A lesser class of trademark application - that for retail stores - may also pit Woolworths against Apple, which is ramping up its retail presence.Since it unveiled its new logo a year ago, Woolworths has been at pains to avoid using the word ''apple'' in commentary. The man who designed it, Hans Hulsbosch, said Apple was taking trademark protection ''to the extreme''. ''Based on this logic, they would have to take action against every fruit-seller.'' Trademark lawyer Trevor Choy said it was common for Apple to prevent others from using anything that resembled an apple in a logo or marketing. ''They are just covering any eventualities,'' he said, adding that less than 5 per cent of such actions made it to court. Apple declined to comment. 原文连结 http://tinyurl.com/ybpwfm6 今天逛the age看到的新闻，大意是说Woolworths的新版logo让Apple觉得太相像 有监於Woolworths现在已经朝信用卡和手机通讯的产业发产，如果未来继续往3C 发展，这个logo对於苹果将会照成困扰........所以Apple的"律师团"希望澳洲联邦 法院可以阻止通过Woolworths的新商标申请案，美国的Apple杠上澳洲最大的超市集团 成为有趣的发展，Woolworths新商标的设计者跳出来说"Apple这麽做的话，根本是太 过极端的保护他们的商标，如果是这样的话，那一堆农产零售商都要被告了！" 至於Apple则拒绝发表意见，一切交给律师团和法院处理 --

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