Back in August, we told you that Apple had sued a company over its logo. The company, named Prepear, has an app in the App Store and the Google Play Store and it helps subscribers prepare meals and create shopping lists. Even though the logo is that of a pear, Apple complained that it looks too similar to its own logo. Prepear founder Natalie Monson explained how the trillion dollar Apple decided to take a small company to court. “Apple,” she said, “wants to go after our small business’ trademark saying our pear logo is too close to their Apple logo and supposedly hurts their brand. This is a big blow to us at Prepear. To fight this it will cost tens of thousands of dollars.”
In the papers it filed with the court, Apple explained how a pear logo can look like its Apple logo. Prepear’s pear, said Apple, “consists of a minimalistic fruit design with a right-angled leaf, which readily calls to mind Apple’s famous Apple Logo and creates a similar commercial impression.” However, Apple is fiercely protective of its image and the tech giant surely had to take notice when a petition drawn up by Prepear parent Super Healthy Kids garnered 250,000 signatures in an attempt to get Apple to drop the suit. And now it appears that this might be exactly what is going on.
Filings submitted last week with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeals Board requested that proceedings related to Apple and Prepear be delayed for 30 days. The reason for the time out? Both “parties are actively engaged in negotiations for the settlement of this matter.” If no settlement is reached before January 23rd, the proceedings will continue on that date. In addition, either side can decide not to wait until that date and resume court proceedings at any time.
A schedule of the proceedings reveals that this court battle could run into 2022. If a settlement can not be reached between Apple and Prepear, you can prepare to hear about this battle for a long time.
