Overview
- EU trademark officials partially refused Yichun Qinningmeng’s citrus logo for computer goods after Apple opposed the filing, but let the application proceed for solar panels.
- Although the office found only a very low visual similarity and no conceptual overlap, it ruled that Apple’s well-known mark could lead buyers to make a mental link.
- The decision blocks registration for keyboards and other computer-related products in the EU, and the applicant can appeal within two months.
- EUIPO said the sign would be seen as a stylized round fruit with a leaf, fruit segments, and key-like squares rather than as an apple.
- In the United States, a related application ended when the company failed to answer Apple’s opposition, underscoring Apple’s long-running efforts to challenge fruit-shaped marks.