RaduTyrsina
News Team
Apple has always been known for fiercely protecting the design ideas of every product it has ever released. Now, a new report claims that Apple has taken things to a whole new level and is ready to patent the minimalist design and layout of its retail stores. The company has even filed its request officially with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Apparently, Apple is right to be concerned because in countries like China, copy-cat Apple stores have started popping up, managing to fool customers they were actually in a real Apple store. The Cupertino tech giant has been trying to trademark the design of its stores, but the Patent and Trademark Office has so far rejected the application claiming that the stores weren’t “inherently distinctiveâ€.
However, this time, Apple managed to bring enough evidence to convince the Office’s board that Apple stores are one of a kind. The trademark covers different key aspects, we have all been accustomed to seeing around the Apple stores and have become very familiar to our eyes. We’re talking about paneled facades, rectangular tables arranged in a straight line in the middle of the store, paralleling the walls, the back-lit Apple logo, the way the store is lit and of course the Genius Bar.
Some time ago, Apple managed to get a patent even for the floating glass staircase in its retail units, listing Steve Jobs as its creator. Nevertheless, the battle is not over yet, Apple still has to find the means to prove that the threat of customers being confused by fake Apple Stores is real.
Source: Reuters