Alternately, you could argue it's the logical extension and evolution of the Applications icon Apple has been using since 2000.
The angles are the same as the original Application logo, much as they are the same as the KON logo.
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Apple Sued for App Store Logo's Resemblance to Chinese Clothing Brand Logo
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The angles are the same as the original Application logo, much as they are the same as the KON logo.
China isn't to blame. I actually root for China to pull **** like this. It's what they do. The U.S. companies will start to cry to the U.S. government for help. You reap what you sow. If China was a person I wouldn't barter or do business with them. Most wouldn't. Suck it U.S. companies!
The Chinese in particular (although others too) tend to respect trademarks and copyrights most when they can weaponize them.
Pretty much all patterns of small numbers of symmetrical overlapping lines or bars have had prior uses, for probably thousands of years. Three is interesting because it's the smallest number of line segments that can bound an area.
IMO, the devil is in the details. The markets are totally different; Apple does not sell clothes, certainly not in any significant quantity. The details of the design are quite different too, in the shape of the bars, in the color, in how the overlap is shown. This is just protectionism and/or going after a cash cow.
The sad thing is... it's not even a great design to steal!
I agree with other people here... at least the old icon had some meaning. This, however, is just three simple lines.
It honestly reminds me of a sign for a campground.
I guess the App Store is sort of a campground. A campground for your money. Where they go and camp... permanently. But please, don't give Jonny Ives any ideas!
I really like that logo.
I’m also sick of flat and minimalistic.
The commercials are like that now also, at least the ones with the color and music.
It’s all become so cold and...not fun.
I guess we’ll always have Mike Mouse watch faces.
Ha, no. Not trolling.... though I get why you think that.
Didn't think about different industries... and Apple certainly won't change their logo. If they lose, they'll settle out of court for some unknown amount.
Nope.
Becuase trademark filings are not based on an “evolution” argument. Otherwise, Rolex would be suing Budweiser for using similar crown logos. No such thing as “evolution” for trademark. Your logo is either similar (or in this case the same) or it isn’t.
Not only are the angles different, the top doesn’t cross on the old Apple icon. The new App icon is stolen and Apple simply got caught.
Can you say for sure that is was stolen? Could it simply be that no one outside of China even knew what Kon was? Let alone their logo? I would say Apple's design is just a progression from the original. Did they steal? Probably not.
Hard to imagine Apple would steal anyone's logo design but you never know, Jony has been (maybe a little too much) inspired by product design from Braun and Dieter Rams. This logo however is a matter of the proportions and the angles found in both and they are strikingly similar. After looking at them a while I feel they're too similar. Again, it's not about having similar shapes of an abstracted letter, but instead it's the angles and proportions used that count here.
Using the logos provided by MR, I overlayed one on top of the other. The KON logo was proportionately scaled to 53% and the Apple logo had its opacity reduced to 50% in order for both logos to be seen simultaneously.
If I had designed Apple's new App Store logo and then saw the KON logo, I would be compelled to make some changes to my logo. Even if it was by complete coincidence, they're just too close for comfort and rounding the edges does't cut it in my opinion.
Using the logos provided by MR, I overlayed one on top of the other. The KON logo was proportionately scaled to 53% and the Apple logo had its opacity reduced to 50% in order for both logos to be seen simultaneously.
If I had designed Apple's new App Store logo and then saw the KON logo, I would be compelled to make some changes to my logo. Even if it was by complete coincidence, they're just too close for comfort and rounding the edges does't cut it in my opinion.
- angles of three main elements = match
- thicknesses of the elements = match
(KON looks thicker here on purpose for clarity in differentiating the two logos since one is overlaying another. Scaling the KON logo down another 0.5% – 1.0% shows all elements thicknesses to be exact.)
- Apex / topmost acsenders = match, Apple simply extended the crossbar and descender lengths.
- segments breaks negative space = match, same angles and thicknesses. C'mon Apple...
- inner triangle negative space = match, same size and proportion. C'mon Apple...
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Everything from angles to stroke width to negative space matches exactly.
Anyone who thinks it was an "evolution" is just being obtuse.
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Yes, it was stolen. The two logos are not just similar, they're identical.
I agree with you but our mutual agreement is irrelevant to this topic. KON does appear to have a legitimate case for infringement, it matters not that I think their logo is a steaming pile of failure to represent the concept they claim it represents. It is worse that Apple abandoned a meaningful bit of iconography to take up this vague minimalistic stick version of the letter A that just so happens to be some Chinese company’s idea of three bones supposedly inspired by the music of The Sex Pistols. Which makes me want to puke, after looking up their clothes. Somebody had to have been high as a kite or had their head way up their keister to come up with that drivel. The part of me that is from that era is smh at the very cheesy attempt at cultural appropriation.
The news sites and people who use the word "stolen" are incorrect. You don't have to steal, to end up looking too similar to another mark.
Googling, it seems that Kon is popular in many places, not just China.
Apple itself is famous for denying apps that even hint at copyright/trademark infringement either internally or in the app icon.
More importantly, Apple has made a very big deal of being in the China market, with huge investments in local people etc. So someone working at Apple China really should've known. Doubtful that there was a path for passing that info up, though. Maybe now they'll have their China section review designs. Live and learn.
I agree that it was likely inadvertent duplication.
Progression could help show lack of intent to explicitly copy a mark from scratch, but it won't change the fact that they're very similar.
If that court decides there's a chance of confusion over whose logo it is, Apple will probably have to change theirs.
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Can you blame them? I can imagine lots of people wanting to buy their clothes but soon as they realised there is a £1000 device which contains an app with an A logo they just went for the device instead. I mean who needs clothes now days if you can afford expensive devices?
Does it affect the way you buy software? I mean come on. First world problems...
Chinese have a copy right law? With the knock off iphone X's out, this is kinda funny ....
Does not matter , Apple will still bend over backwards to keep anything China related happy. Poor both ways .
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According to tim, for 2 cups of coffee , you can get both the device and clothes
Does not matter , Apple will still bend over backwards to keep anything China related happy. Poor both ways .
[doublepost=1513753114][/doublepost]
According to tim, for 2 cups of coffee , you can get both the device and clothes
So a Chinese company steals Apple's logo, slightly altering it so it doesn't get sued in the process, then sues Apple when Apple decides to alter their logo into a design the resembles their stolen design?
To Funny. The Chinese annoyed someone ripped off their trade mark.. Get over it, you are the biggest trade mark thieves in the universe.