Firm Owning 'IPHONE' Trademark in Brazil Open to Selling Mark to Apple

MacRumors · Feb 5, 2013, 01:40 PM

Brazilian electronics maker IGB Electronica SA, which owns the trademark to 'IPHONE' in Brazil, has said it is willing to discuss selling the trademark to Apple following the launch of a line of Android phones bearing the 'IPHONE' mark in that country.

Bloomberg reports:

Quote:

The owner of the iPhone trademark in Brazil, IGB Eletronica SA, said it would consider selling the naming rights to Apple Inc.

"We're open to a dialogue for anything, anytime," said Eugenio Emilio Staub, chairman of IGB, in an interview in Sao Paulo. "We're not radicals."

Brazil's Institute for Industrial Property confirmed this week that IGB has exclusive rights to the 'iphone' mark as it relates to mobile phones. Apple had requested exclusive use of the word in 2006, but the request was not granted because IGB's trademark dated back to 2000.

Apple has sold the iPhone in Brazil for several years, but with this ruling it appears Apple will need to negotiate with IGB for the right to use the 'iPhone' mark. A similar situation occurred in China last year. Proview Technology owned the Chinese trademark to "iPad" and eventually sold the mark to Apple for $60 million.

Article Link: Firm Owning 'IPHONE' Trademark in Brazil Open to Selling Mark to Apple

timshundo · Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM

Of course they are.

Meandmunch · Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM

Cash grab. If this is legit, I would if I could.

Michaelgtrusa · Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM

Money talks eh? Everyone wants a piece.

Risco · Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM

It's a done deal, you don't mess with Apple or it's lawyers.

Dr McKay · Feb 5, 2013, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Risco

It's a done deal, you don't mess with Apple or it's lawyers.

Mess? They owned this trademark years before iPhone existed. How are they messing with Apple?

thekris1234 · Feb 5, 2013, 01:44 PM

Yes, for the small sum of 8 billion, Apple can have it when they want.

Rudy69 · Feb 5, 2013, 01:47 PM

No kidding, that's what it was about the whole time. They'll never really make money selling their "IPHONE" android phones

oliversl · Feb 5, 2013, 01:48 PM

They're open to lawsuits and bankruptcy, good luck with that

WhoDaKat · Feb 5, 2013, 01:48 PM

Shocker!

Compile 'em all · Feb 5, 2013, 01:48 PM

Yeah man, just take the money!

Bubba Satori · Feb 5, 2013, 01:50 PM

Apple should just buy Brazil.

mrsir2009 · Feb 5, 2013, 01:51 PM

They’ll probably make more money selling the name to Apple than they would selling those... Things...

macsmurf · Feb 5, 2013, 01:51 PM

Apple owns the trademark for "App Store". Amazon needs to respect that.

Oh wait. Wrong thread.

Bubba Satori · Feb 5, 2013, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macsmurf

Apple owns the trademark for "App Store". Amazon needs to respect that.

Oh wait. Wrong thread.

Karma is not a beach in Rio.

Northgrove · Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM

We are ready to sell it... for one BILLION dollars!

Radio · Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM

they should sue apple for the iphone name

clearly firm owning iphone came up with original idea 1st

Fresh Pie · Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM

Peace · Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM

IGB Electronica SA has Apple by the proverbial sack and they know it.

Apple's gonna pay a lot for this.

gugy · Feb 5, 2013, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubba Satori

Apple should just buy Brazil.

They can't afford it.

AustinIllini · Feb 5, 2013, 01:55 PM

that photo is moderately disturbing

gugy · Feb 5, 2013, 01:56 PM

Nothing new here.
Gradiente was after easy money anyway. They are a dying company and was never planning to make a phone in the first place.

Risco · Feb 5, 2013, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr McKay

Mess? They owned this trademark years before iPhone existed. How are they messing with Apple?

Yes mess, not in the context of current ownership but more that Apple always get's what it wants.

Tiger8 · Feb 5, 2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bubba Satori

Apple should just buy Brazil.

Or Bermingham, oh wait, no one wants it even if it's for free

notjustjay · Feb 5, 2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr McKay

Mess? They owned this trademark years before iPhone existed. How are they messing with Apple?

Well, it all depends on what they originally trademarked it for. After all, it's been 8 years...

Maybe they had a legitimate purpose, but then when Apple released their own iPhone, maybe they realized they were sitting on a gold mine. All they had to do was call attention to the fact that they owned the trademark, maybe by announcing that (ahem) "Hey, we intend to make a phone called the IPhone! And we have every legal right to! Anybody have a problem with that?" and wait for Apple to come running in with bags of cash.

It's all speculation, but that's my theory.

Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM	#3
Meandmunch macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2002	Cash grab. If this is legit, I would if I could. __________________ GIBBS
	3

Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM	#4
Michaelgtrusa macrumors 68040 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Everywhere And Nowhere	Money talks eh? Everyone wants a piece. __________________ iMACAll life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. TWITTER TUMBLR
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Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM	#5
Risco macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: United Kingdom	It's a done deal, you don't mess with Apple or it's lawyers. __________________ 15" Macbook Pro 2012, 2.3ghz, 8GB Ram, 500GB HD \| iPhone 5 64GB Black
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Feb 5, 2013, 01:47 PM	#8
Rudy69 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2009	No kidding, that's what it was about the whole time. They'll never really make money selling their "IPHONE" android phones __________________ My Games: Tangled; QuadPong; West Code Studios
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Feb 5, 2013, 01:48 PM	#9
oliversl macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jun 2007	They're open to lawsuits and bankruptcy, good luck with that __________________ My email after a captcha in: http://tinymailto.com/oliversl
	0

Feb 5, 2013, 01:41 PM	#2
timshundo macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: San Francisco, CA	Of course they are.
	6

Feb 5, 2013, 01:44 PM	#7
thekris1234 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2011	Yes, for the small sum of 8 billion, Apple can have it when they want.
	1

Feb 5, 2013, 01:48 PM	#10
WhoDaKat macrumors regular Join Date: May 2006	Shocker!
	0

Feb 5, 2013, 01:48 PM	#11
Compile 'em all macrumors 68040 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: 127.0.0.1	Yeah man, just take the money! __________________ Apps That Do Not Suck ✭✭✭ TodoMovies ✭✭✭
	0

Feb 5, 2013, 01:50 PM	#12
Bubba Satori macrumors 68040 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: B'ham	Apple should just buy Brazil.
	27

Feb 5, 2013, 01:51 PM	#13
mrsir2009 macrumors 604 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Wellington, New Zealand	They’ll probably make more money selling the name to Apple than they would selling those... Things... __________________ How to Prevent your Mac from Overheating
	8

Feb 5, 2013, 01:51 PM	#14
macsmurf macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2007	Apple owns the trademark for "App Store". Amazon needs to respect that. Oh wait. Wrong thread.
	4

Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM	#16
Northgrove macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2010	We are ready to sell it... for one BILLION dollars! __________________ iPhone 5 • rMBP 15" (2012)
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Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM	#17
Radio macrumors 65816 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Central California	they should sue apple for the iphone name clearly firm owning iphone came up with original idea 1st __________________ iPhone 5 32gb black; iPad (3rd Gen) 32 gb black -- iPhone 4 32 gb black-- iPod classic 64 gb
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Fresh Pie macrumors 6502 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vermontpelier	__________________ Siri and I have the same approach
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Feb 5, 2013, 01:54 PM	#19
Peace macrumors P6 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Space--The ONLY Frontier	IGB Electronica SA has Apple by the proverbial sack and they know it. Apple's gonna pay a lot for this.
	5

Feb 5, 2013, 01:55 PM	#21
AustinIllini macrumors 65816 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Austin, TX	that photo is moderately disturbing __________________ Victory ILLINOIS Varsity
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Feb 5, 2013, 01:56 PM	#22
gugy macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: La Jolla, CA	Nothing new here. Gradiente was after easy money anyway. They are a dying company and was never planning to make a phone in the first place. __________________ MacPro 2.66 12 Core, 30" and 23" ACDs, MacBook Pro 2.2, MacBook, iPod 1G-5G, Shuffle 2G, iPhone 3G/4S
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