The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has withdrawn its main objection to Apple’s trademark filing for the Apple iPad mini.
A USPTO examiner recently denied Apple’s filing because the name was viewed as descriptive. Apple instead of submitting proper paperwork also simply printed out a sales page for the iPad mini. Apple printed out the paperwork to prove that the device was already on sale.
The USPTO pulled its objection last Wednesday but waited until Monday to announce its decision.
Following the agency’s original objection to the filing, Apple said it would submit new evidence. However, the USPTO did not require a new filing before it took action.
While the USPTO withdrew its main iPad mini objection, it did note that several other concerns are still on the table. The biggest objection is that other companies already own trademarks and sell products with the “mini” name included in their product titles.
The USPTO is not requiring that Apple file any more trademark requests. The agency does suggest that Apple amend its paperwork to note specifically that it only wants to protect the exact name “iPad mini” and not other “mini” based names.
While the USPTO has not explained why it withdrew its main complaint, there is a good chance it was caused by the media attention the rejection brought.
Apple over the last several months has had a hard time protecting its patents and naming rights. The company is currently fighting a losing battle in Germany .
With courts and federal agencies tightening their controls over trademarks, copyrights, and patent filings, there appears to be a shifting tide in the tech industries fight against overly used legal filings.
Do you think Apple should be allowed to own the iPad mini trademark if it promises to only trademark that term and not the “mini” wording?
