Apple is working on a deal with a company preparing meals, whose pear logo has tried to prevent it because it is too similar to its own famous logo.
The Prepear logo – a pear with a leaf on top – “easily reminds me of Apple’s famous Apple logo and creates a similar commercial impression,” the Silicon Valley giant said in a summer filing, adding. that the similarities would “cause the average consumer to believe” that Prepear is “affiliated or approved by Apple”.
However, in a case before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Review and Appeal Committee reported for the first time by MacRumors, Apple requested that the proceedings be suspended for 30 days, while “the parties are actively involved in negotiations to resolve this issue ”.
Super Healthy Kids – the company behind Prepear that allows people to store recipes and create meal plans – accused Apple of “abusing their position of power by targeting small businesses like ours that are already struggling because of Covid-19 effects “, and committed to fighting Apple” not only to keep our logo, but also to send a message to large technology companies that intimidation of small businesses has consequences. “
The startup launched a Change.org campaign in August, hoping to force Apple to withdraw. The petition has already collected 269,000 signatures.
If the two parties cannot reach an agreement, the dispute will be resumed on January 23, with the first appearances before the court being set for March.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.