They're not a "local" business. They are in the Northwest of the country. We have one in Rochester, and I don't even know where the Apple Valley mall that they reference is. For people who know something about movie theater chains, they've been around for years--and they made a name for themselves, obviously have nothing to do with Apple Inc. and they have been on Apple's radar for years. Apple just now had an issue with them because the company is expanding.
If you apply Apple Corp. logic re. Apple being "in the music business" then Apple have been "in the movie business" since they released QuickTime in 1991.
They did keep pushing - the dispute rumbled from 1978 to 2007 with multiple cases and settlements until Apple (computer) started winning in 2006. It does rather look like a case of "deepest pockets always win" given the changing relative wealth of Apple Corp vs Apple Computer over that time... Bizarrely, Apple Corps case started to sound more rational in the 2000s when Apple got involved in actual music distribution than in the early days when they were arguing over the Mac's ability to play sounds.
Apple stands, you're next!!!
In a federal court in Massachusetts on Friday, Apple sued a small movie theater chain named Apple Cinemas over alleged trademark infringement.
"Apple Cinemas is knowingly and intentionally using the name Apple to sow confusion for its own benefit," alleged attorneys for Apple, in a complaint filed against all Apple Cinemas locations, and a Sand Media Corp Inc. company connected to the chain.
Established in 2013, Apple Cinemas maintained a limited presence in the Northeastern U.S. until last month, when it opened a theater in San Francisco. The complaint alleges that Apple Cinemas is pursuing a nationwide expansion across the U.S., including in areas near Apple's headquarters and retail stores, leading Apple to take action.
"Faced with Defendants' plan to expand to 100 theaters nationwide, as well as widespread public confusion about Apple's involvement in the theaters, Apple has no alternative but to file this lawsuit to protect its brand and customers from deception," the complaint states.
Apple Cinemas currently has 14 locations, according to its website.
Apple's "repeated efforts to resolve the matter amicably" were unsuccessful. The lawsuit alleges that the companies behind Apple Cinemas have received multiple warnings that the name would cause confusion among consumers, but carried on. The complaint includes examples of some people who believed that Apple Cinemas was owned by Apple, in the comment sections of various online news articles and social media posts.
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.
Apple has very strong trademark rights in connection with a wide range of goods and services, including movie distribution, its attorneys said.
The second warning came in December 2024, when Apple sent Sand Media Corps Inc. a cease and desist letter directly, according to the complaint. Apple's attorneys also communicated with the company by phone and in writing several times, but it knowingly pushed forward with its Apple Cinemas expansion plans, the complaint adds.
As for how the Apple Cinemas name came to be? According to the complaint, the founders of the chain claim they adopted the name due to a planned first location at the Apple Valley Mall in Rhode Island, but they never opened a location there.
Apple is seeking both an injunction and monetary damages.
Article Link: Apple Sues Movie Theater Chain With Similar 'Apple Cinemas' Name
The point is, apparently, that Apple Cinema doesn’t predate Apple (and there aren’t thousands of companies that use the name Apple in their name). And, if the goal was to come up with a name for a cinema that would be legal challenge free (and, that they’d be able to trademark), there are over 200,000 words to choose from. Like American Movie Classics or Regal. And, a company also has the choice to use a name not even from the 200,000, like Cinemark. Adding that, there’s a MASSIVE number of things, other than Apple, that a company can call themselves (there’s a huge list of theaters that had no problem avoiding using trademarked terms in their name) AND get that term successfully trademarked. In 2010, naming yourself Apple or Microsoft or Oracle was simply not smart.
Yes but Apple Cinemas as a brand that uses the word Apple and has to do with movies PREDATES Apple computers being interested in films. Apple doesn’t get blanket retroactive rights to every industry. See Apple Corps. Music.
And Apple TV boxes for over a decade. 😉I like Apple Cinemas it is actually a very nice place to watch a movie at. Yes at first I wondered if they were part of Apple but a quick search said no so not sure how much confusion there actually is. Also suing more than a decade after they started? Get real Apple (the one that makes computers and phones
Clearly you didn’t read the whole article. The complaint is about Apple Cinemas suddenly start to expand, making use of the recent hit of the Apple Studios success.
It's not Apple Cinema's fault Apple decided to encroach into their market about a decade after Apple Cinema started
Yeah, and Apple made their film/studio arm a long time after Apple Cinemas started in 2013. Legally, Apple Cinemas is the company that could sue for damages due to market confusion, not Apple. At least in a country with a legal system that didn't favor the wealthy and powerful
