APPLE GIVES UP TRYING TO TRADEMARK 'POD'

Apple, like any other high-profile brands, tries very hard to protect the product brand names it uses. That means iPhone, iPod, iPad, Mac etc. are all trademarked words no one else can use without permission. But there is a gray area around some names, one of which is the word “Pod”.

For many years Apple has been trying to secure the trademark for the word Pod. In doing so it would stop third parties from using that word as part of other names which could cause confusion around Apple products. For example, a company may start selling Apple iPod accessories under the name ePod or 1Pod. Without a trademark on Pod, Apple could do nothing legally to stop such a thing happening.

But that now looks to be possible as Apple has thrown in the towel trying to secure the trademark. The proof of this can be seen on the trademark application form (see image above) which now lists the status as “ABANDONED” as of April 13, 2011.

Apple originally tried to get the Pod trademark on July 29, 2004. What followed was a lot of revisions and amendments over the course of the next seven years, none of which convinced the IP office to award the trademark. The last such correspondence happened on the 26th March this year.