October 17th, 2006

Apple filing for iPhone trademarks worldwide

One of the most persistent Apple rumours is that the company will release a mobile phone, often referred to as the iPhone. Indeed, AppleInsider today reported that Apple has filed for a trademark for the term iPhone with a “far easter trademark office”. Well, we did a bit of research, and it appears that Apple has either received, or is filing for, trademarks for iPhone in a large number of countries worldwide.

Let’s start out with the easy ones:

• Australia Trademark for iPhone granted 8 December, 2004. Applied for: 17 October, 2002.
• Canada Trademark for iPhone applied for 14 October, 2004.
• European Union Trademark for iPhone applied for 21 October, 2002.
• New Zealand Trademark for iPhone applied for 16 September, 2006.
• Singapore Trademark for iPhone granted 10 June, 2003. Applied for 18 October, 2002.
• United Kingdom Trademark for iPhone granted 17 April, 2006. Applied for 21 October, 2002.

(Note: the links point to the patent and trademark office in the respective countries. A search for iPhone reveals the Apple trademark applications.)

Ok, you are saying, what about the US? Surely Apple would also apply for a trademark in their primary market! Of course. Searching the US Patent and Trademark Office database for iPhone reveals a trademark application owned by “Ocean Telecom Services LLC” of Delaware. Strangely enough a Google search for Ocean Telecom Services fails to find any relevant references. Hence, we are guessing that Ocean Telecom Services are simply acting on behalf of another company in regard to the trademark application. This company may be Apple, or someone attempting to interfere, for monetary or other reasons, with Apple’s applications. However, looking closer at the Ocean Telecom Services US trademark application, it describes the “goods and services” under category “009 Electrical and Scientific Apparatus” as:

“Handheld and mobile digital electronic devices for the sending and receiving of telephone calls, faxes, electronic mail, and other digital data; MP3 and other digital format audio players; handheld computers, personal digital assistants, electronic organizers, electronic notepads…”

Interestingly enough, this description is identical to the goods and services description provided by Apple in its New Zealand iPhone trademark application. This leads us to believe that Ocean Telecom Services is indeed acting on behalf of Apple.

Casting the net slightly further reveals that Ocean Telecom Services recently filed for iPhone trademarks also in the following countries (the day after the US application was launched):

• Hong Kong
• United Kingdom

To summarise, we can confirm that Apple has been filing for the iPhone trademarks in Australia, Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In addition, it looks like Apple is also, via a third party, applying for iPhone trademarks in Hong Kong and the United States. Given these extensive trademark activities worldwide in relation to the term iPhone, it seems clear to us that it is not a question of if Apple is working on a mobile phone, but when they will actually launch it. Before Christmas, or in 2007? Given the filing dates of the trademark applications, Apple may have been working on the iPhone since 2002. It should be ready soon…

October 17th, 2006
Sections: Devices
Tags: Apple, iPhone, iPod, Music players