Game Boy Emulator 'Delta' for iPhone Updates App Icon After Adobe 'Threatened Legal Action'

[MacRumors]

The developers behind the popular Game Boy emulator Delta for the iPhone said they updated the app's icon today to avoid potential legal action from Adobe.

Delta's new app icon (left) and Adobe's logo (right)​

"Adobe threatened legal action unless we changed our app icon — so we did," say the release notes for the latest version of Delta on the App Store.

Delta's former icon does look like a mirrored version of Adobe's logo, which is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries. According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, companies have an obligation to enforce their trademarks, and failure to do so could eventually result in losing rights to the trademark.

Delta's previous app icon​

"Without proper policing over time, the original owner of a mark could lose any trademark rights it has in the mark," the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says.

Apple has enforced its trademarked logo in similar ways over the years, including in 2020, when it filed a complaint against a small company with a pear logo.

Thanks, Parker Ortolani!

Update: The Verge shared some more details about the situation, and says that Delta's current logo is only a temporary solution as it designs an all-new icon.

Article Link: Game Boy Emulator 'Delta' for iPhone Updates App Icon After Adobe 'Threatened Legal Action'

 

[RMo]

I don't think this often, but I can actually see where Adobe is coming from on this one.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I can't be the only one who got cracked up by this right ?

They literally shattered it in fragments , that's hilarious

 

[Gengar]

I hate Adobe, but yeah, they’re right in this instance.

 

[Gengar]

 

[spaxxedout]

The fact they’re using Photoshop to troll Adobe.

 

[MikeAllaway]

here we were waiting for Nintendo to take legal action and Adobe beat em to the punch

 

[mrat93]

Am I crazy or does the new logo somehow look more like Adobe’s? I see the Adobe logo every day and never once compared the two, but now every time I see this new logo, i’m gonna be reminded of Adobe.

Less-so the app icon, but this version of the logo looks more similar to Delta’s new logo — just three oddly-placed shape fragments:

 

[PaperMag]

Why didn't I become a lawyer? I'd make so much money sending threatening emails.

"Hey you! Change your logo! Or we sue!"

$300 → My bank account

Repeat infinitely

 

[klasma]

Yeah, that looks a lot like a delta.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

So I see where Adobe is coming from too, but can you really copywrite a Δ symbol?

 

[dannyyankou]

They could've just done a delta symbol without the gap in the bottom line. Then they can say "Adobe didn't invent the Greek alphabet"

 

[Samuel Sosa]

Just use the lower case symbol for delta δ

 

[Hik]

Delta in the Greek alphabet is Δ.

So the original logo obviously tried to look like the Greek letter, but the resemblance to Adobe’s is striking.

They could just close the gap, and have a triangle like Δ, but they obviously chose the new logo just to make fun of this.

 

[dannyyankou]

So I see where Adobe is coming from too, but can you really copywrite a Δ symbol?

I think it's the break in the line on the bottom that causes the issue

 

[PaperMag]

here we were waiting for Nintendo to take legal action and Adobe beat em to the punch

I heard Nintendo has more lawyers than developers. I heard that if a Nintendo game developer wants a raise they go to law school and learn to sue Youtubers. I heard Nintendo is Japanese for "Nuh Uh, You can't legally do that."

 

[midkay]

So I see where Adobe is coming from too, but can you really copywrite a Δ symbol?

I mean, it's not just a Δ symbol, it has a cut-out in the bottom corner making it look like an 'A', which is much more specific.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I love that they just broke it in half to avoid the lawyers. Very much reminds me of the sosumi sound effect.

 

[zilchfox]

They flipped it horizontally, broke it in half, and didn't even bother fixing the drop shadow to match, so it's still the original shadow. lol

 

[jlc1978]

They could've just done a delta symbol without the gap in the bottom line. Then they can say "Adobe didn't invent the Greek alphabet"

Doesn't work that way. Adobe could still use it as a trademark, although others could in the types of business.

 

[antiprotest]

Delta did a copy and paste.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

A company whose entire reason for existing is based on other companies' IP gets dinged for copying another company's logo? Why doesn't this surprise me?

 

[sw1tcher]

So I see where Adobe is coming from too, but can you really copywrite a Δ symbol?

Why not when you can get a patent for rounded corners

 

[jarman92]

I heard Nintendo has more lawyers than developers. I heard that if a Nintendo game developer wants a raise they go to law school and learn to sue Youtubers. I heard Nintendo is Japanese for "Nuh Uh, You can't legally do that."

I feel like people here have a very mistaken idea of what lawyers get paid, especially compared to Nintendo developers.

 

[jarman92]

So I see where Adobe is coming from too, but can you really copywrite a Δ symbol?

No, but you can trademark it.