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Not true. Sony Pictures owns Alamo Drafthouse. The law that prohibited studios from owning theatres was overturned in 2021 under the Biden Administration.
You do know this was a Supreme Court case right? Whatever administration is in charge would have no bearing on the case at all. Please tell me people still understand we have 3 branches of government...for the moment anyways.
 
The big boys don't always win:
Sometimes common sense gets the win.
Not sure if win is the correct adjective here. She didn't lose, and Apple walked away, with the tail between their legs. What's funny when you read the Guardian article 🙄 is the use of hyperbole. These days, the media have to grossly exaggerate any comment. The also stated that Apple Computers won an epic high court battle against Apple Corps. Sadly the truth didn't make it to their story, and that despite this amazing win, Apple settled the dispute, by paying $500 million for the trademark rights.
 
I like you are getting into the public perception of it. This is really about how novice customers and common people perceive it. Trademarking a specific shade of magenta ( Pantone “Rhodamine Red U” ) sounds ridiculous.

Until you realise that in current scenario, if someone uses that shade in a mobile setting, people will think it's T-Mobile.
It's not all shades of magenta we are talking about.

Similarly by 2013, if someone names something Apple in America, thats not related to the fruit in anyway, people will think it was Apple Inc. Especially "Apple Cinemas", when iTunes and Apple TV already existed. And if Apple can prove this was wilfully done, they should win.
I completely understand the UK legal term A Moron in a Hurry but why wasn't this a problem for Apple Computers in 2024? Or 2014? If they can attempt to stop a German cafe owner in 2014, a sole trader who operates one small business from trademarking his localised 'Apfelkind' business name then they should have gone after a cinema chain spread across the Atlantic NE already.

Perhaps to some people it was confusing but it was equally confusing the last year and the year before. Why now? Is the loss of the $20bn from Google that much of a hole in their income?
 
You’re joking, right? A casual average person wouldn’t be confused from watching F1, an Apple Studios film from Apple Inc, at an Apple Cinemas?

Let’s talk to AMC Theatres and have them rebrand to Disney Cinemas. By your logic, no one would be confused by watching a Disney movie at a Disney Cinemas.
Disney is a namesake where Apple is a fruit. There are businesses here with the name Apple that are unrelated. There was a time when being higher in the alphabet was important so people found you first in the phone book. I don't think people automatically believe something with the word Apple belongs to the company Apple. Unless you think Apple makes all Apple Pies.
 
We don't expect Apple Computers is going to sue every Orchard in the country or that kids in Sunday School think Eve confusingly took a bite out of her iPhone.
If every Apple Orchard in the country were to attempt to register an “Apple” trademark which includes in its description “electronics stores” they most certainly would go after them. Apple Cinema could simply modify their trademark request and likely fly through.
 
Apple Cinemas existed way before Apple TV shows and Movies, just like Apple Corp Ltd.(Beatles music studio), there's no confusion here. Apple is acting like a bully. Consumers are not confused by name unless dumb @ss Apple corporate employees are. Corporate Greed Money Grab. Who's next to sue? Applebees Grill? Apple Farm? McIntosh Apple? Apple Pie?
 
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When I saw first saw the logo I though Apples had opened a cinema chain it was only when I read the story I realised it was not Apple.

It is brand confusion and would leave people to think it is owned by Apple and if they give a bad experience or go bust it could tarnish Apple's brand.

If I was Apple I would do the same actions as them
 
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Apple Cinemas tried and failed to trademark both the Apple Cinemas name and the "Apple Cinemas Experience," with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denying the marks in 2024 because of potential confusion with Apple's prior trademark
This should tell them that they aren’t going to win this. They knew exactly what they were doing in 2013.
 
I completely understand the UK legal term A Moron in a Hurry but why wasn't this a problem for Apple Computers in 2024? Or 2014? If they can attempt to stop a German cafe owner in 2014, a sole trader who operates one small business from trademarking his localised 'Apfelkind' business name then they should have gone after a cinema chain spread across the Atlantic NE already.

Perhaps to some people it was confusing but it was equally confusing the last year and the year before. Why now? Is the loss of the $20bn from Google that much of a hole in their income?
I never heard of Apple Cinemas till now. I lived in San Francisco for several years that included 2014. There might be a mom and pop store named "Apple Radio Repairs" that no one here or at Apple heard off.

Also, this case has come up after "repeated efforts to resolve the matter amicably". Who knows how long this was. Definitely long before this very recent news of a potential loss of $20B. Hell, they would have started preparing the papers before this news.
Honestly, if I saw Apple Cinemas suddenly pop up in San Francisco and it has any bit of focus on clean designs, I would think this was from Apple Inc. At least I would check it out to see if it was from Apple.
 
I would be more sympathetic if Apple Cinemas existed before Apple Computers.
When Apple Computers was started, they weren't in the film business. When Apple Cinemas was started, Apple Computers wasn't in the film business. You're saying that Apple can literally get into any business they want, 20 years down the road, and anyone who has a brand that is similar to what Apple decided it wants to do is in jeopardy and should change their name to get out of Apple's way? Is that how trademarks work?
 
Apple suing Apple Cinemas after 15 years is peak corporate clown show. A $3 trillion company acting like a handful of movie theaters are going to confuse people into thinking they can buy an iPhone with their popcorn. Anyone defending this nonsense is living on a different planet.
 
You’re joking, right? A casual average person wouldn’t be confused from watching F1, an Apple Studios film from Apple Inc, at an Apple Cinemas?

Let’s talk to AMC Theatres and have them rebrand to Disney Cinemas. By your logic, no one would be confused by watching a Disney movie at a Disney Cinemas.
Nice try, but Apple Cinemas has existed for 15 years without a single person thinking they were walking into an Apple Store to buy a MacBook. This isn’t about “consumer confusion,” it’s about a trillion-dollar company flexing its lawyers for no real reason. If your Disney analogy worked, AMC would’ve been sued a decade ago for showing Marvel movies yet somehow, the public survived without losing its grip on reality.
 
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McDonald’s must be shaking in their boots as Apple obviously has both their iconic sandwich and pastry item in their crosshairs next.
 
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Actually, Apple TV was a thing in 2013, as it first came out in 2007. (Apple TV+ came out in 2019, and, yes, Apple’s trademarked names are confusing.)

And Apple Cinemas aren’t producing films, only renting access to seats to view films in their theatres.
Doh forgot about the hardware, but my point remains.
 
This is ridiculous. Why did they choose this name in 2013?

When Apple was already one of the biggest players in multimedia (including selling and renting movies with the iTunes Store!)

They brought this on themselves.
Agreed. Such a silly name pick.
 
The first time I heard of an apple cinemas opening in my area (a few years ago I think) I actually associated it with apple computer. I wasn't interested in it enough to do any research, but I honestly assumed that apple cinemas was apple's brick-and-mortar manifestation for Apple TV+ content.
 
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