APPLE EXPANDS TRADEMARK FOR WATCHES, JEWELLERY

Apple has reportedly moved to protect its brand in the jewellery and watch market, fuelling speculation that the rumoured iWatch will be released later this year.

According to MacRumours, Apple is “broadening and cleaning up” its application in trademark Class 14, which, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, covers “mainly precious metals, goods in precious metals not included in other classes and, in general, jewellery, clocks and watches”. 

This is one of 45 trademark classes relating to different product categories that are adhered to worldwide.

In late December 2013, Apple reportedly filed a new “Apple” trademark application in Ecuador to add protection in Class 14 for a number of product types including jewellery and watches. Numerous other applications followed, including a Class 14-focused application filed in Mexico in early January this year, and a larger application filed in Norway in mid-February 2014 to increase protection over seven different classes, including Class 14. 

Then in March, Apple also filed an application in the United Kingdom for Class 14 for the first time as part of a wider application to increase protection across a total of 12 classes.

Despite this, the company has yet to protect itself within its home country, the United States, and is still not covered under Class 14 in many of the other countries in which it operates.

 

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United Confectioners loses Icebreaker trademark in Hershey dispute

The court yesterday upheld an earlier decision to rescind United Confectioners’ IceBReAKeR trademark, which belonged to the company’s Red October subsidiary.
Hershey successfully argued that Red October (Krasny Oktyabar) had infringed Hershey’s Russian trademark for ICE BREAKERS. The US firm said that it was preparing to supply its Ice Breakers gum and mint brand on Russian territory.
Hershey welcomes the decision
Jeff Beckman, director of corporate communications at Hershey, told ConfectioneryNews:“Hershey is pleased with the Russian court’s decision upholding the cancellation of the Krasny Oktyabar registration. This decision is important because Ice Breakers is an iconic brand and one of the key global brands in our product portfolio.”  

More at Confectionarynews.

Sony Trademarks Bloodborne and Microsoft Registers XboxAb

As we venture close to E3 2014, both Sony and Microsoft have started locking down trademarks and domains.

Earlier today, Microsoft was spotted to have had registered two mysterious domains – XboxAb.com and XboxAb.net. Both were filed simultaneously and there’s no information on what they could be. Microsoft has kept quite upon questioning and the ‘ab’ part just makes us assume it has something to do with a new fitness Kinect game which may be getting ready to be revealed at E3.

A couple of hours ago Sony came into the spotlight as well. The company recently filed for the registration of a trademark for something called Bloodborne with the US Patents and Trademark Office.

More assumptions lead us to Bloodborne perhaps having something to do with a vampire or undead related game. Others on the web are linking it with Resistance 3; where Bloodborne was the name of a challenging trophy that asked you to kill three enemies simultaneously using a single mutated body.

E3 2014 begins in June and this time around Microsoft is looking to make amends. The company has already outed its plans to keep the presentation short and restricted to just games alone. Sony on the other hand will be hoping to capitalize on its so far victorious march and to increase its lead with the announcements of some new games.