Apple, the tech company, has a long history dating back to 1976. However, the logo of an apple has been around for much longer, specifically for 111 years. Interestingly, a Swiss farmers organization, known as Fruit Union Suisse, has been using an apple as its logo. But the organization’s use of the logo is now being challenged by Apple Inc. in a global trademark battle. The company is striving to gain intellectual property rights over depictions of apples. Notably, the farmers group uses a whole apple as their logo, in contrast to Apple Inc.’s bitten apple logo.
Fruit Union Suisse director Jimmy Mariethoz expressed his confusion regarding the lawsuit, stating that Apple Inc.’s objective is to own the rights to an actual apple. He believes that the depiction of an apple should be universal and free for everyone to use. While this argument seems sensible, trademark disputes often lack common sense. According to legal experts, Swiss law theoretically protects companies involved in such disputes if they can prove prior use of the disputed image. However, smaller entities often face intimidation from larger companies with deep pockets, such as Apple Inc.
Last year, the Tech Transparency Project reported that Apple Inc. is particularly aggressive in these trademark battles. Over a three-year period, the company filed 215 trademark oppositions in the US, more than the combined total of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, which was 136. Notably, small businesses and nonprofit organizations are often the targets of Apple Inc.’s oppositions. Examples include a support organization for families of children with autism, a school district, and an online test prep service for nursing students. In the case of the Swiss farmers group, they estimate it would cost millions to rebrand if they are forced to change their logo.
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