Apple secures ‘iPhone’ trademark in Japan - 3G iPhone coming to Japan?
Posted by Will on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 1:45 pm under iPhone, Apple, Partnerships, Announcements
Apple has reportedly gotten friendly with Japanese company Aiphone. The two companies have apparently come to terms with the use of the iPhone trademark in Japan, allowing both Apple and Aiphone to use the trademark. Aiphone has reportedly been talking to Apple since last summer over the iPhone trademark.
While Aiphone isn’t exactly the same as iPhone, both words are apparently indistinguishable when translated into Japanese. So, in the name of sharing the trademark love, Aiphone has “reached a friendly agreement with Apple” which gives both companies rights to the Japanese iPhone trademark on the island nation.
Great, so Apple and Aiphone have agreed to share the iPhone trademark. What’s the big deal? Well, we’ve got to believe that Apple wouldn’t go through the trouble of securing its iPhone rights in Japan unless it didn’t have plans to launch the 3G iPhone in the country later this year. After all, it’s not like Apple would go out of their way to get Japanese 3G iPhone hopes up, only to crush them later - at least we hope not.
[Via: DigitalWorldTokyo]
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
month-old news.. must be a slow day in gsm world?
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:08 am
very cool! can’t wait:)
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:13 am
“month-old news.. must be a slow day in gsm world”
Well, there were three pieces of non-iPhone related news in a row. Something had to be done about it. Imagine what would have happened to the very fabric of reality if Will had allowed there to be four pieces without any connection to Apple? RF would’ve exploded causing millions of iPods to stop functioning.