Firm Launches ‘IPHONE’ Brand of Android Phones, Touts Trademark Ownership in Brazil

Submitted Dec 18, 2012 by Taylor Wimberly

Brazilian electronics maker IGB Electronica SA has announced a new line of Android phones under the IPHONE brand, a trademark that was originally applied for in Brazil in 2000. The first model will be called “Neo One,” IGB said in a securities filing.

Full article on macrumors.com

6 Comments Join the discussion!

73 rbcameron1 12/18/12 6:54 PM

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FAIL.

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- 65 dcds 12/18/12 9:49 PM
  
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  As someone living in Brazil, you gotta know the details before you jump to conclusions.
  
  That company originally submitted the registration for the “IPhone” brand (with a capital letter i) in 2000, a full 7 years before the iPhone was even announced.
  
  As is normal with our bureaucratic institutions, the registry was only definitely validated in 2008, one year after the famous iPhone was launched.
  
  Now, now… I believe we all can agree that, if Gradiente (the company) knew that Apple would launch “the” iPhone 7 years before, and that it would be a hit, it certainly wouldn’t be facing bankruptcy. After all, they could have sold that impressive futurology prediction to Microsoft and Nokia at the time… or the company could have bought all Apple shares at the time… don’t you think?
  
  Does that mean they are a productive company that wants to sell smartphones? No. They are only doing it to avoid “abandonment” of the brand (I heard you have 5 years to produce something under the brand around here). The brand registry would decay in 2013 (2008+5), and if abandoned Apple could grab it for themselves since they have a product (thus avoiding another money grabber registering before them).
  
  In short, they are only producing a product (ANY product) to avoid brand decay so they can reach an agreement with Apple and gain some money in the process. It’s better than letting the brand decay and earn nothing from Apple…
  
  I fail to see why this is a fail on their part. Legit but shady, sure, but not a fail.
  
  And finally, let’s not forget that Apple reached an agreement in the past over similar issue (with Cisco).
  
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  - 91 Sean the Electrofreak 12/19/12 12:46 AM
    
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    As a network tech, I’m still mad at Cisco for letting Apple use the IOS brand.
    
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  - 58 tkarel 12/19/12 3:39 PM
    
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    Apple also had to reach an agreement with a record company of the same name that distributed vinyl for a group that broke up in1970.
    
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34 ibap 12/19/12 8:09 AM

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But you gotta love it. Finally, someone that Apple isn’t successfully suing someone for some obvious feature. The primary advantage Apple is taking advantage of is … lawyers. Kind of like GM being a finance company that happens to make cars.

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45 securifirm 12/19/12 10:29 AM

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Major fail…can’t wait to see all of the “IPHONE”s on ebay

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