Could Apple lose the trademark exclusivity to the term iPad?
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Has the term iPad become synonymous with tablet, or do consumers still think of Apple when they hear the name? With such a large selection of tablets to chose from now, Apple must maintain that it's their brand name, and that iPad remains synonymous with its tablet and only its tablet. In the past companies like Xerox and Kleenex have been in similar situations where they've had to be careful that the company and branding are specific to their respective products in order for the term to remain a legally protected trademark.
Professor Jessica Litman, of Michigan Law School says Apple has done a pretty good job at protecting its trademarks from becoming generic terms in the past. She says Apple "is able to skate pretty close to the generics line while making it very clear the name is a trademark of the Apple version of this general category."
It's hard to imagine looking at any tablet and calling it an iPad, but there's a growing consumer base new to the tablet market, and they hear the terms iPhone and iTablet, and iAnything and just assume it's a techie term for the later half of the product name. Apple in itself has put a lot of emphasis on the word Apple, so it's likely that if it were to lose the exclusivity it would fair just fine. After all, who is going to want to buy a "Samsung Galaxy iPad?"
source: SlashGear
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32 Comments
32. jogutier posted on 16 Apr 2012, 13:33 0
No it's not. Its Apple getting done to them, as they do to EVERYONE else. LOL I love it!
2. Leyjee posted on 13 Apr 2012, 16:53 6
What is this piece of writing? Come on PA your better than space-filler articles like this.
5. gallitoking posted on 13 Apr 2012, 17:18 2
I am sure with some money from Apple .. they will be allowed to dominate the tablet world with their always imitated never duplicated ipad
17. networkdood posted on 13 Apr 2012, 19:41 5
LOL!!!!!!!!
30. Mandroid posted on 15 Apr 2012, 12:42 0
You're beyond pathetic and have brought both shame and suicidal thoughts to your family.
9. medicci37 posted on 13 Apr 2012, 18:32 6
If they did rename it the Samsung tab, I could understand. Because most of the parts are Samsungs.
16. taco50 (banned) posted on 13 Apr 2012, 19:38 3
Which parts? Can you list all the parts in an iPad and what percentage are Samsung made?
20. remixfa posted on 13 Apr 2012, 22:49 9
of the new ipad?
the chip
the memory
the screen (one of multiple screen partners if i remember right)
pretty much everything but the bezel and GPU, taco.
21. Droid_X_Doug posted on 14 Apr 2012, 00:29 3
Isn't the GPU included in the chipset? If so, then only the bezel isn't made by Sammy.
25. remixfa posted on 14 Apr 2012, 09:16 2
the GPU is PowerVR, which is then delivered to samsung to include on the chipset. its not actually made by samsung themselves.
What taco doesnt ever realize, is that if samsung ever decided to play hardball and not renew their contracts with Apple, Apple would be reduced to using companies like Hauwai to manufacture their ipad chips, as so few companies can handle the volume.
23. andro. posted on 14 Apr 2012, 04:02 1
The over exaggeration is the only real thing made in the new ipad by apple!
10. sgtdisturbed47 posted on 13 Apr 2012, 18:46 0
Customers that aren't "power users" or "techie" tend to hear the name iPad and assume that any tablet is an iPad. That name has practically become a household name, but not all customers know exactly what an iPad is. They see any tablet and call it an iPad. Granted, these are the customers that are better off with a basic phone rather than a smartphone, but they do exist.
I highly doubt Apple would allow any company to use the name iPad.
11. jaytai0106 posted on 13 Apr 2012, 18:51 1
Everything Apple has to be on iPhoneArena. We all know that already :P
12. remixfa posted on 13 Apr 2012, 18:57 1
i wouldnt be so worried about samsung using the iPad name as much as chinese knock offs. If Proview can successfully maintain the ipad trademark, either Apple will have to bow to them for royalties, or they wont, and the next day the market will be flooded with knock offs all putting the ipad name front and center. Anyone that isnt aware that ipad is a specific apple item and not a generic term for tablets will be at risk to buy a knock off without realizing it.
13. roscuthiii posted on 13 Apr 2012, 19:09 3
Generically coined terms become cool when you add a lower case 'i' as a prefix... much like the suffixes of -oid in the 80's and -izzle in the late 90/00's.
18. networkdood posted on 13 Apr 2012, 19:41 0
Let us speculate about the new name that the iPAD will be given....
aPAD.
22. Bluesky02 posted on 14 Apr 2012, 01:28 0
iPad will remain for Apple
Proview will get screwed by Apple's layers
24. Droid_X_Doug posted on 14 Apr 2012, 04:17 0
IF ProView wins their trademark fight in China, then Apple will need to decide how valuable the iPad identity is in China. If they could use say, iPod Touch XL in China and iPad everywhere else, then ProView gains nothing. If iPad in China is critical to Apple and ProView wins the trademark fight, then it is time for Apple to open up its checkbook.
27. EarnYourLeather posted on 14 Apr 2012, 17:15 1
I'm glad someone still sees this product for what it is: an "iPod Touch XL."
26. jskrenes posted on 14 Apr 2012, 10:35 0
I doubt that Samsung will make an "iPad," since there is another company in China that says they own the trademark, not Samsung. Plus the other company couldn't sell their product as being an iPad outside of China. They'll likely settle for cash.
29. bvalde09 posted on 15 Apr 2012, 10:17 0
I have a friend of mine who bought a chinesse generic tablet which was running android 2.2 and she called it "Ipad". I looked at her and I told her this is a Tablet not an ipad anyways she got a playbook now and from time to time she still called it an Ipad. I think that people who arent over the tech they use teh work ipad to describe a tablet. I agree with the article
31. phonemonkey posted on 16 Apr 2012, 10:35 0
Yes, the term iPad is synonymous with "tablet"
People will try and sell android tablets all the time and call them "iPads"
Partly due to ignorance.
But never the less... You don't have someone trying to sell an iPhone or iPad and confuse it with a galaxy s2 or a transformer tablet... Ever.
33. darth8ball posted on 16 Apr 2012, 15:54 0
And why would Apple complain....when their friend who has a Galaxy Tab says "I have an iPad and just love it" they go to Apple and buy an iPad, marketing baby.
