Apple Loses 'iPhone' Name Rights in Mexico over Phonetic Similarity [Updated]

[riam]

no it's not. Ifone, would be pronounced as "ee-fo-ne", while iphone would be pronounced "ee-po-ne". The "h" in iphone is completely silent. The "ne" on both words do not end in "nay" like someone else mentioned either.

However, seeing how "iphone" is a product name, it would just be pronounced to spanish speaking people just like it sounds in english. Just because it's a product name. The same applies to the brand "nike".

I have a feeling that "ifone" is just an alternate spelling for "iphone" in spanish because of the "f" sound that the "ph" makes in the english language doesn't exist in spanish.

Nontheless, the company name "ifone" should not sound the same as "iphone".

spanish is my native language, i know how they both sound

 

[arqsagi]

please please I am mexican

lets start by saying I am proud mexican, altough I live in the border with the states so I go across the border several times a week, but I dont want to be american, there is a lot op people proud to be mexican. FACT: The full name of Mexico is Estados Unidos Mexicanos, could be translated in to Mexican United States, so we are US Citizen, that is from Mexico, and we live in North America, South America officialy starts below Mexico.

Sure in México we have lots of corruption but hope Apple doesnt contribute to that, we are more good people than bad and trying to change this from our country.

about the Drug business, that is a different story, but again not all are consumers or dealers,

The thing with this iFone thing is that it sounds similar, and was registered several years before. Apple should make a deal with this company, I dont think they want to stop selling the iPhone in Mexico, we are a lot of customers and the demand is growing because people are upgrading their blackberry to iPhone.

So not all Mexicans are bad people, not all want to become us citizen, and lots of people here use iPhone, iFone? I dont know what is

 

[ncaissie]

Trying to step on the little guy.
Pathetic. They should at least (If they haven’t already) offer to buy the rights from the company.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

No, that's retarded thinking. Just because Apple comes in and tries to take something from a smaller company doesn't mean they will win. This is a clear example of the same ********* they're pulling against Samsung by trying to patent the touchscreen, which they didn't invent. I think that iPod touch I bought last year will be the last thing I buy from Apple...

"Retarded" ??? WTH! You shouldn't be online during school hours!
My advice to you: "Don't pop your pimples!"

 

[ncaissie]

Time to dip into the warchest and pay these fools to get over it.

It’s not them going after Apple it’s Apple going after them.
What did you do just read the title?

 

[Moorepheus]

It is a well-known fact that the Mexican legal system is corrupt. Apple has too much class to pay bribes to the judge, so they lost a case where they clearly should have had an easy victory.

Mexico needs Apple a WHOLE lot more than Apple needs Mexico. Why would Apple care about selling their esteemed products to people using dirty cartel blood money? That is NOT the kind of customer that Apple even wants.

Can you imagine? While the vast majority of the Mexican people are very good people, just like anybody else in the world, there is a huge criminal underclass that sucks the money out of the hands of the good people. Corrupt judges, corrupt politicians, corrupt police, and corrupt drug lords are primarily the ones who can afford Apple products in Mexico. Not the good people, not the majority of fine people who work hard and get exploited by the corrupt ruling class who engineered this travesty of justice.

Apple should just pull out of Mexico and tell those corrupt scum that they don't want their filthy blood money. They should NOT take money from the coyotes and murderers and drug kingpins. They should instead tell them that they their dishonest money should go to the dishonest makers of Googley Android crap products.

I expect nothing less from a company like Apple. They are always on the side of the good and the right and the just. apple stand for the little guy, trying and succeeding in making the world a better place. Apple cares so much about each and every one of its customers, it cannot support the corrupt horrible few in Mexico.

Pull out of Mexico, Apple. Take the moral high ground. That is what Steve would have done!

Please explain to everyone else here, including my self, why APPLE SHOULD HAVE WON? Becuase to just about everyone that has posted here, it's CLEAR that Apple did not have rights to the name iFone and therefore cannot force anyone with that name to stop using it. Instead of being Apple SUE-Happy, they should have bought the rights from iFone, but they didn't and they deserve what they got.

 

[m1kygarcia]

Having read all the comments of this post, no wonder why People in the USA are so ignorant, here's a prove....

11:00 minutes of stupidity at it's finest....

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=fvwrel&v=5nZy75y2EZU

I'd feel embarrassed of being American if I watch it..... They can't even correctly locate a country on a map.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

So they're pretty much like the US o A? Enough money and eventually you'll win.

Unfortunately... Yes.

 

[dec.]

These lawsuits are damaging Apple's reputation incredibly. Something is going very wrong there lately.

 

[ctrl94]

"Retarded" ??? WTH! You shouldn't be online during school hours!
My advice to you: "Don't pop your pimples!"

Figures. Your only comeback is that I should be in school, when I'm in college and I finished at 11 for the day. If you honestly believe that Apple should have won, I would like to know your reasoning. And don't say they were protecting their patent, because like most of the intelligent people in this forum have already said, the iFone patent came first.

 

[NewbieCanada]

You didn't bother to read the article did you? iFone trademarked iPhone two years before Apple trademarked the iPhone.

And yes there have been products before the iMac that used a lower case i in their name so if anything Apple stole the i from them.

Oh, and "i" stands for Internet.

Which is why Al Gore is on Apple's board... so he doesn't sue them for using HIS trademark.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

There's never giving up, and then there's being a douchebag and a bully when you don't have to.

Apple keeps doing the latter.

As for my sig explaining something... Huh?

You claim to be old, but your way of expressing your thoughts and your perception of how things work, reflect the mind of a 14 year old.

Honestly, now you got me confused.

----------

These lawsuits are damaging Apple's reputation incredibly. Something is going very wrong there lately.

Nah, companies are involved in lawsuits all the time. We just don't hear about it because they are not Apple.

 

[ctrl94]

Unfortunately... Yes.

Good thing in Mexico, everything is available for sale. Even the government...

Apple will get the name rights one way or another. That's positive thinking.

Live and Let Die!

Stop contradicting yourself.

----------

Having read all the comments of this post, no wonder why People in the USA are so ignorant, here's a prove....

11:00 minutes of stupidity at it's finest....

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?feature=fvwrel&v=5nZy75y2EZU

I'd feel embarrassed of being American if I watch it..... They can't even correctly locate a country on a map.

You're assuming the entire population is like this. There are many people who are much more intelligent in the US.

 

[w00master]

Maybe units sold weren't great yet, but the silhouette ads was a huge hit, especially in design/marketing/advertising world.

Image

Everybody tried to copy that hip design/ad style - bold colors, flat vector graphics, it was all over the place for years. That campaign brought a lot of attention to iPod and it's name. I know that was the first time I heard of iPod, based on those ads.

I have no prove, but I'm willing to bet the "i" from iFone was trying to grab a piece of that cake. And as the other poster has mentioned, iMac was already out for years. Do you really think a company in Mexico came up with a lower case "i" in front of their name just because they thought of it, and Apple's influence in the world at that time had nothing to do with it?

All of what you say is seriously meaningless on this issue.

They had it in 2003.

Apple didn't.

Apple lost this case THREE times.

The fact that you (and MANY MANY others on there) don't get this is what the problem. Apple lost and had no chance in winning PURE AND SIMPLE.

All of this other nonsense what you mention is that: NONSENSE.

GET IT IN YOUR HEAD. APPLE WAS IN THE WRONG.

w00master

 

[ctrl94]

"Retarded" ??? WTH! You shouldn't be online during school hours!
My advice to you: "Don't pop your pimples!"

You claim to be old, but your way of expressing your thoughts and your perception of how things work, reflect the mind of a 14 year old.

Honestly, now you got me confused.

It's like the only way you know to argue is to just call everyone younger than you. Real convincing...

 

[iapplelove]

Apparently you haven't... Mexico is amazing.

It's hilarious how bad apple is making themselves look. God what a bunch of tools....

Lol actually I have been 3 times and yeah amazing doesn't really come to mind, unless u need drugs or violence

 

[w00master]

Lol actually I have been 3 times and yeah amazing doesn't really come to mind, unless u need drugs or violence

You know what? None of that matters.

Apple lost because they were in the wrong.

Pure and simple.

The fact that you and others don't get this is truly MIND BOGGLING.

w00master

----------

Lot's of "i" copycats in 2003 - and iPod, not iPhone. Try again.

Again. This is a NON issue. They had it (2003), Apple did not.

END

OF

STORY.

Apple is in the WRONG. PERIOD.


w00master

 

[nick_elt]

but.. I would guess iFone picked their name because using "i" in the name was already "in" because of iPod?

You are not serious right? It was an mp3 player and you are talking about a phone company.

 

[w00master]

I would expect iFone to be some cheap chinese knockoff you get from ebay anyways.

I can't imagine people thinking that has anything to do with iPhone.

Why can't they just live in peace with each other? lol

Again. Apple is in the WRONG. They are not.

They had this in 2003.

Regardless of what was popular at the time, all of that DOES NOT MATTER.

Apple again is in the WRONG. Not in the RIGHT.

PERIOD.

w00master

----------

but.. I would guess iFone picked their name because using "i" in the name was already "in" because of iPod?

NONE OF THIS MATTERS.

Again, they had this in 2003. Apple did not.

This is the end of the story. Pure and simple.

This is why Apple lost this case THREE times.

Again, let me repeat that:

THREE

TIMES.

w00master

 

[frayne182]

Again. Apple is in the WRONG. They are not.

They had this in 2003.

Regardless of what was popular at the time, all of that DOES NOT MATTER.

Apple again is in the WRONG. Not in the RIGHT.

PERIOD.

w00master

----------



NONE OF THIS MATTERS.

Again, they had this in 2003. Apple did not.

This is the end of the story. Pure and simple.

This is why Apple lost this case THREE times.

Again, let me repeat that:

THREE

TIMES.

w00master

wtf? lol

I said on the first page that they had the name first so all the power to them.

I just said I find it funny the name iFone and how I would picture it as a chinese knockoff.

 

[samcraig]

So what I read was that Apple tried to bully their way into buying the name or using it without permission. Was called on it - THREE times and just lost again.

And people here think Apple is in the right? Should buy the company?

Or how about this - how about Apple respects the copyrights, trademarks, etc of another company if it's going to sue companies like Samsung for infringing.

Yeah - I know a name is a different thing than a design. But hypocrisy is still hypocrisy.

 

[nick_elt]

but.. I would guess iFone picked their name because using "i" in the name was already "in" because of iPod?

You are not serious right? It was an mp3 player and you are talking about a phone company. #mindboggledatthisone

 

[w00master]

I love the SUPERIOR attitude and SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT that many of these apple radical fanboys have. Seriously. What you folks are arguing is CRAZY.

Apple was in the wrong. There are no "ands, ifs, or buts" about this. This company had this since 2003. It doesn't matter if they were "riding the coattails of the iMac and/or iPod." It does not matter. Pure and simple.

They had this in 2003. If the situation were reversed, you would not hesitate to support apple, but because of some of your RADICAL fanboy BLINDNESS, you just can't get over the fact that SOMETIMES APPLE MAKES MISTAKES.

Get over it.

Apple was WRONG. PERIOD.

w00master

----------

wtf? lol

I said on the first page that they had the name first so all the power to them.

I just said I find it funny the name iFone and how I would picture it as a chinese knockoff.

Apologies if I lumped you in with the Radicals on this. Apologies.

w00master

 

[nick_elt]

I love the SUPERIOR attitude and SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT that many of these apple radical fanboys have. Seriously. What you folks are arguing is CRAZY.

Apple was in the wrong. There are no "ands, ifs, or buts" about this. This company had this since 2003. It doesn't matter if they were "riding the coattails of the iMac and/or iPod." It does not matter. Pure and simple.

They had this in 2003. If the situation were reversed, you would not hesitate to support apple, but because of some of your RADICAL fanboy BLINDNESS, you just can't get over the fact that SOMETIMES APPLE MAKES MISTAKES.

Get over it.

Apple was WRONG. PERIOD.

w00master

Sometimes? Getting pretty common these days.

 

[frayne182]

I love the SUPERIOR attitude and SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT that many of these apple radical fanboys have. Seriously. What you folks are arguing is CRAZY.

Apple was in the wrong. There are no "ands, ifs, or buts" about this. This company had this since 2003. It doesn't matter if they were "riding the coattails of the iMac and/or iPod." It does not matter. Pure and simple.

They had this in 2003. If the situation were reversed, you would not hesitate to support apple, but because of some of your RADICAL fanboy BLINDNESS, you just can't get over the fact that SOMETIMES APPLE MAKES MISTAKES.

Get over it.

Apple was WRONG. PERIOD.

w00master

----------



Apologies if I lumped you in with the Radicals on this. Apologies.

w00master

No worries pimp.

I agree with ya in the end so no biggie.