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I think someone will register a company with a name “F.U.Apple” just to get sued one day. You can imagine the Apple logo variant if you will.
 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Between 1978 and 2007, there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps (owned by the Beatles) and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer (now Apple Inc.) over competing trademark rights, specifically over the use of the name "Apple" and their respective logos which consist of a profile of an apple. Apple Inc. paid Apple Corps. over three settlements: $80,000 in 1978, $26.5 million in 1991, and $500 million in 2007, when Apple Inc. acquired all the trademarks related to "Apple".
 
Are you a youngster who doesn't know the history?

In 1981 Apple Corps (the Beatles company) sued Apple Computer over trademark infringement. Apple Computer paid Apple Corps around $80k for use of the name Apple. Apple Computer agreed to stay out of the music business. Apple Corp agreed to stay out of computers.

In 1991, after Apple Computer had added lots of AV capabilities to the Mac, it was accused by Apple Corps of violating their agreement. Apple Computer paid Apple Corps approx. $26 million to settle the dispute. Apple Computer was allowed to use the name Apple in digital audio, but not as a music publisher or distributor.

In 2003, Apple Corps sued Apple Computer over its launch of the iTunes Music Store. Apple Corps lost that suit because the court ruled that a music store wasn't a breach of their trademark agreement because it wasn't a record label.

In 2007, Apple Inc. paid Apple Corps tens of millions of dollars for all trademarks related to "Apple". They licensed certain trademarks back to Apple Corps to use in the music business.

Trademarks are serious stuff. The confusion between Apple products and Apple Cinemas is real. Apple is and has been operating in adjacent spaces. Apple TV hardware was streaming video for 6 years before Apple Cinema was created. Given that Apple also produces Apple TV apps, has a full-fledge Apple TV+ streaming service, and produces content through Apple Apple Studios LLC (which includes theatrical releases). Given that Apple Cinemas is now showing F1 The Movie, an Apple Studios film, in their theaters, the potential for confusion is huge.
The problem is that Apple started movie business after year 2013. They can’t own the whole world they head to.
 
If Apple didn't get into Film Making, Distribution, Sales...it wouldn't be a problem...but now...
But the movie theater was around before Apple did any of that. To me Apple Cinemas should be fine. The problem is fighting legal battles becomes costly. But if it was Scion on sense, Apple Inc would buy the brand and pay them a large sum to rebrand.
 
I’ll never forget when I started my company in around 2007 or so. My logo was EXACTLY like the Beats by Dre logo that came out a few years later. But what could I even really do? It’s my fault for not trademarking it, but even so, I didn’t have money for lawyers and all of that, we were just a small time ad agency. I actually was never happy with the logo anyway, so I guess I just moved on…
 
The problem is that Apple started movie business after year 2013. They can’t own the whole world they head to.
Apple started streaming video to Apple TV devices in 2007. It is an adjacent business and therefore the potential for confusion is very high. Apple products prominently display the apple logo, which is immediately recognizable. The visual of using stylized Apple in the logo of Apple Cinema creates confusion based on appearance. The case is strong.
 
I know Apple is in the filmmaking business now, so I guess it's fair enough that they wouldn't want people to mistake this cinema chain for them. It seems kind of boneheaded to make such a mistake when you look at the logo, but there are plenty of people out there dumb enough to make that mistake.
I still think it's a little small fry for them, but maybe the idiots who named the cinema should've just gone with "Apple Valley Cinema" to be safe.
Never mind that Apple had to settle with Apple Corps over their name.
We are interested mostly in all things Apple and notice such things. There’ll be plenty of others who think we are dumb, no one know everything, so not helpful. Apple has many logo styles, not just the one on the back of our iPhones. See the new store and event logos. It’s not surprising many people will be confused. Here’s and example of logos from the verge

 
If "Apple Cinema" started before Apple Inc. got into content creation (e.g. movies and tv shows), does Apple Inc have a case against a movie theatre chain that no one will mistake for Apple Inc.?
 
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Apple needs to understand that they can’t copyright an entire word! Other businesses can use Apple as long as there’s no product confusion to the public.
 
If "Apple Cinema" started before Apple Inc. got into content creation (e.g. movies and tv shows), does Apple Inc have a case against a movie theatre chain that no one will mistake for Apple Inc.?

Content creation has nothing to do with it, Apple Cinemas don’t create content, they merely exhibit it.
 
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This is a nothingburger song and dance that apple has to do to defend their trademark.

The optics are **** for apple of course, because it makes them look like a bully, but it should be an open & shut case. Emphasis on should, because apple's got enough money and lawyers to successfully argue anything in court.

And then there's the fandom that'll side with apple regardless, and can be witnessed in this thread.
 
There are more lawsuits against companies using the logo and the word Apple. But how do you think corporate lawyers maintain their position in the company? busy work for them.
 
To be comparable, Apple would have had to to be involved in the movie industry before Apple Cinemas, Apple Cinemas existed before Apple Studios, and before any Apple Originals came out.

This example now would be more like if Apple Inc sued Apple Records instead.

You don’t generally go after companies using generic item names in their branding in industries you aren’t involved in, and it’s pretty poor sport to go into an industry at a later date and then start legal action against a company that’s been in that industry longer than you have.
Apple has been selling videos on iTunes Store since 2005, 8 years before Apple Cinema started. This is a more comparable business line than Apple Studios, as Apple Cinema is also a broadcaster rather than a maker of original content.
 
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Apple is required to protect its trademark. These type of lawsuits happen everyday.
This is exactly right.

Surprised it's not also mentioned that Apple introduced Apple Cinema Displays as early as 1999.

The first warning came from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which in October 2024 denied Sand Media Corp Inc.'s trademark applications for the "Apple Cinemas" and "ACX — Apple Cinematic Experience" marks, given they were likely to cause confusion with Apple's prior trademark rights, according to the complaint.
Open and shut case.
 
Come on Apple; you’ve got better things to do I’m sure? Are people really that confused? How many people try to take a bite out of their Macintosh computers? 3 out of every 10,000 customers at most. Let confused people be confused.
 
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We are interested mostly in all things Apple and notice such things. There’ll be plenty of others who think we are dumb, no one know everything, so not helpful. Apple has many logo styles, not just the one on the back of our iPhones. See the new store and event logos. It’s not surprising many people will be confused. Here’s and example of logos from the verge


I'm not sure what point you are trying to make or why you've come off so offended, but whenever Apple has done an alternative style of their logo, it is still clearly their logo. It's not just AN APPLE but the Apple logo, Apple with the bite out of it, the shape of the stem, the shape of the Apple itself. The Apple Cinemas logo is completely different it's Apple is more in a V shape, its stem is smaller, different, and appears to have a leaf on it.
 
Or, I mean, there are 218,630 words in common english usage that are NOT “Apple”. While some of those are the names of other trademarked companies, I’m sure they could have found a unique one. :) Anyone today naming anything “Apple <whatever>” thinking that it’s safe and no one’s ever used it is looking for future trouble. When the trademark office says “No, you can’t trademark that name”, that’s also kind of a hint that maybe they shouldn’t be named that.

What is your point? Apparently, there are thousands of companies that use the name Apple in their names. Apple Bank, for example, predates Apple Computer by more than 100 years. It's probably not great for your SEO but I don't think that's what Steve Jobs was thinking about when he decided to name the company Apple Computer either.
 
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