The Silicon Valley website reports that the verdict will not prevent Apple from using the name in Brazil, but simply makes it clear the rights belong to Brazilian company Gradiente.
Trademark
However, the patent office said that stopping misuse of the name would have to be decided in court, although spokesman Marcelo Chimento also suggested that the two companies may reach an agreement over the use of the name.
Gradiente’s application to use the iPhone name goes back to 2000, mirroring a similar situation in the US in 2007, when Apple discovered that Cisco Systems had owned the iPhone trademark since 2000.
In that case, Cisco sued Apple in a San Francsico federal court. However the companies settled for an undisclosed amount six weeks later.
Industry experts have predicted the situation in Brazil will likely reach a similar conclusion.
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