Last June, Apple began registering for trademarks on the "iWatch" name in a number of countries, but since that time the company has been bolstering its trademarks on the actual company name "Apple" to also cover jewelry and watches, MacRumors has discovered.
By international agreement, trademarks are broken down into 45 different classes to organize the types of goods and services being registered for protection. Watches and other jewelry are part of Class 14, which is focused on precious metals/stones and products made from those materials. While some of Apple's trademarks on the "Apple" name have previously included some goods from Class 14, the company is now broadening and cleaning up its trademark applications in those areas. The moves come as the company is widely expected to introduce its "iWatch" smart watch as soon as later this year.
Applications in other countries have followed in recent months, including a nearly identical filing in Mexico in early January that again solely focused on Class 14. Other expansions have come as part of larger filings, such as in Norway, where Apple in mid-February applied for increased protection in seven different classes including a significant list within Class 14. And just last month that effort extended to the United Kingdom, where Apple filed to broaden its protections in over a dozen classes, including Class 14 for the first time there.
While new applications to protect Apple's use of its own name in jewelry and watches have appeared in a number of countries in recent months, the company has yet to make the move in all countries where it operates, most notably the United States where the "Apple" name is not currently covered under Class 14 at all.
Article Link: Apple Extends Company's Trademark to Include 'Jewelry and Watches'
