Apple may be facing one legal hurdle as it tries to enter the wearables market. Switzerland-based Swatch secured the name for iSwatch and since it [name] is pretty similar to “iWatch,” it could cause enough customer confusion to prevent the Cupertino giant from securing the trademark.
Yeah, we know – people looking to buy Apple’s watch will also look for the familiar logo, but not everyone is that savvy. And I’m sure Swatch lawyers would love to test out the idea with a judge of their choice.
Meanwhile, Apple has managed to secure the “iWatch” name in several countries, including Japan, Mexico and Turkey. But it obviously wants to have the entire world “covered.”
So how will this end-up? Will Apple change the name of its watch, presuming it’s ever released? I doubt that will happen; rather, despite facing hurdles — as far as I’ve understood thus far they couldn’t reach an agreement with Swatch — it will find a mutual ground with the Swiss company and everyone will be happy. And by “mutual ground,” I mean they’ll offer some cash to the Swiss who in turn will look on the other side when they see Apple selling its high-tech iWatch. Or so we hope… Cause some other name like “MacWatch” would be unacceptable. 😉
[Via: 9to5Mac]