When you say “startup,” Apple wants you to think about their company. Apparently that’s the idea behind going for the trademark for this widely popular term.
As with all trademark requests, it cannot be a blanket cover-all-situations application, and in this case, Apple is trying to limit it to retail outlets that sell consumer electronics.
So if it succeeds, any new electronics retailer wouldn’t be able to describe themselves as startups, which is kinda weird to say the least.
According to TMWatch, the trademark application covers retail stores, the maintenance of consumer electronics in the store, customer services provided within the store and the design of the stores providing training and maintenance services.
The trademark has been filed in Australia and the United States, although the Australian application was filed a couple of years ago and not accepted. We tend to think the USPTO will follow suit though you never know.
We tend to think that no company, even if it’s Apple, should be allowed to own the term as widely used as “startup.” What do you say?