Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Apple Tablet: Will It Be Called iSlate, iGuide, Or Something Else? http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Robin WautersTechCrunch.com Tuesday, December 29, 2009; 2:54 AM
After discovering that Apple had registered iSlate.com in late 2006 (we dug a little deeper and found trademarks had been filed for 'ISLATE' in both the United States and Europe by a company that was most likely a dummy corporation set up by Apple), MacRumors has now discovered another possible name for the upcoming Apple tablet.
MacRumors bases its report on the filing for a US trademark for 'IGUIDE' by another Delaware-registered company called iGuide Media LLC, which can be linked to Cupertino by means of signatures on the documents coming from Apple's Senior Trademark Specialist, Regina Porter.
Let's dig a little deeper, once again.
Domain names
There's no indication that Apple owns any domain name that contains the term 'iguide'. The identity if iguide.com is shielded from public WHOIS records, but not by Mark Monitor, the brand protection firm Apple usually works with. The domain name iguide.net belongs to a company called iGuide Media, a marketing and design firm started by Jon Warren back in 1997 and led by a Brian Noon from 2002 to 2006, when the company was sold.
I checked a couple of other TLDs (.ca, .fr, and more) and found no indication that Apple owns any of those.
Trademarks
Two trademarks were filed for 'IGUIDE' by iGuide Media LLC (through a James Johnston) in the United States: a principal and a service mark, both on 18 December 2007. The description of goods and services given to iGuide Media is very similar to the one given to Slate Computing, the supposed shell company set up by Apple used to register the trademark for 'ISLATE', although it leans a bit more to a focus on software and services than hardware.
On the exact same day, iGuide Media LLC filed for a trademark in Europe as well: search OHIM for 'iguide' and you find a trademark filing that has all the Apple marks on it: the legal representative is 'EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE UK LLP' (the same as for 'ISLATE' and 'MACBOOK', among others), and the priority country is Trinidad & Tobago, the same as when Apple filed for the 'iphone' trademark in Europe.
Noteworthy: the status history suggests that the community trademark application was registered (not filed) in February 2009, and that the full examination of the CTM application has been completed very recently, on the 18th of December 2009 to be exact.
Final thoughts
If I were betting man, I'd still be putting my money on the name iSlate for the tablet, Magic Slate for a possible peripheral, and iGuide for a service linked to the hardware device(s).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/29/AR2009122900795.html
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
After discovering that Apple had registered iSlate.com in late 2006 (we dug a little deeper and found trademarks had been filed for 'ISLATE' in both the United States and Europe by a company that was most likely a dummy corporation set up by Apple), MacRumors has now discovered another possible name for the upcoming Apple tablet.
MacRumors bases its report on the filing for a US trademark for 'IGUIDE' by another Delaware-registered company called iGuide Media LLC, which can be linked to Cupertino by means of signatures on the documents coming from Apple's Senior Trademark Specialist, Regina Porter.
Let's dig a little deeper, once again.
Domain names
There's no indication that Apple owns any domain name that contains the term 'iguide'. The identity if iguide.com is shielded from public WHOIS records, but not by Mark Monitor, the brand protection firm Apple usually works with. The domain name iguide.net belongs to a company called iGuide Media, a marketing and design firm started by Jon Warren back in 1997 and led by a Brian Noon from 2002 to 2006, when the company was sold.
I checked a couple of other TLDs (.ca, .fr, and more) and found no indication that Apple owns any of those.
Trademarks
Two trademarks were filed for 'IGUIDE' by iGuide Media LLC (through a James Johnston) in the United States: a principal and a service mark, both on 18 December 2007. The description of goods and services given to iGuide Media is very similar to the one given to Slate Computing, the supposed shell company set up by Apple used to register the trademark for 'ISLATE', although it leans a bit more to a focus on software and services than hardware.
On the exact same day, iGuide Media LLC filed for a trademark in Europe as well: search OHIM for 'iguide' and you find a trademark filing that has all the Apple marks on it: the legal representative is 'EDWARDS ANGELL PALMER & DODGE UK LLP' (the same as for 'ISLATE' and 'MACBOOK', among others), and the priority country is Trinidad & Tobago, the same as when Apple filed for the 'iphone' trademark in Europe.
Noteworthy: the status history suggests that the community trademark application was registered (not filed) in February 2009, and that the full examination of the CTM application has been completed very recently, on the 18th of December 2009 to be exact.
Final thoughts
If I were betting man, I'd still be putting my money on the name iSlate for the tablet, Magic Slate for a possible peripheral, and iGuide for a service linked to the hardware device(s).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/29/AR2009122900795.html
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Apple Tablet: Is it the iSlate?
Apple Tablet: Is it the iSlate?
Apple seems to be interested in the name, but perhaps only to prevent anyone else from using it.
Harry McCracken, Technologizer
timestamp(1262011080000,'longDateTime')
Dec 28, 2009 6:38 am
Email
Print
RSS
14 Comments
digg_url = 'http://www.pcworld.com/article/185506/apple_tablet_is_it_the_islate.html';
digg_title = 'Apple Tablet: Is it the iSlate?';
digg_bodytext = 'Apple seems to be interested in the name, but perhaps only to prevent anyone else from using it.';
digg_bgcolor = '#fcfcfd';
digg_skin = 'compact';
digg_window = 'new';
SHARETHIS.addEntry({
title: "Apple Tablet: Is it the iSlate?",
url: "http://www.pcworld.com/article/185506/apple_tablet_is_it_the_islate.html"
});
It may still be the holiday season, but I'd be remiss if I let any more time pass without a quick acknowledgment of the flurry of speculation that the Apple tablet -- the one we don't officially know exists yet -- will be called the iSlate. There seems to be plenty of evidence that Apple's interested in that name, but that's not definitive proof that the tablet will get the moniker. It might just mean that Apple's preemptively taking steps to prevent anyone else from using it.
There does seem to be a certain logic in the name, though, if we assume that the tablet is more akin to a giant iPod Touch than a keyboardless Mac. It'd be startling if it didn't have the "i" prefix, for one thing. And it would be equally startling if it did have "tablet" in its name-that word brings to mind all sorts of specific assumptions about form factor, input methods, and the like, most of them associated with Microsoft's failed Tablet PC. An Apple tablet would likely be radically different from the Tablet PC in most ways that matter, so why suggest a link through a similar name? Especially when you could use a different term that you've trademarked, so you don't find yourself competing with knockoff "slates?"
Oldtimers like myself will remember other examples of the use of "slate" as a synonym for "tablet" -- most notably Slate Corporation, an early-1990s company that made applications for Microsoft's first failed tablet platform . . .
http://www.pcworld.com/article/185506/apple_tablet_is_it_the_islate.html
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Apple seems to be interested in the name, but perhaps only to prevent anyone else from using it.
Harry McCracken, Technologizer
timestamp(1262011080000,'longDateTime')
Dec 28, 2009 6:38 am
RSS
14 Comments
digg_url = 'http://www.pcworld.com/article/185506/apple_tablet_is_it_the_islate.html';
digg_title = 'Apple Tablet: Is it the iSlate?';
digg_bodytext = 'Apple seems to be interested in the name, but perhaps only to prevent anyone else from using it.';
digg_bgcolor = '#fcfcfd';
digg_skin = 'compact';
digg_window = 'new';
SHARETHIS.addEntry({
title: "Apple Tablet: Is it the iSlate?",
url: "http://www.pcworld.com/article/185506/apple_tablet_is_it_the_islate.html"
});
It may still be the holiday season, but I'd be remiss if I let any more time pass without a quick acknowledgment of the flurry of speculation that the Apple tablet -- the one we don't officially know exists yet -- will be called the iSlate. There seems to be plenty of evidence that Apple's interested in that name, but that's not definitive proof that the tablet will get the moniker. It might just mean that Apple's preemptively taking steps to prevent anyone else from using it.
There does seem to be a certain logic in the name, though, if we assume that the tablet is more akin to a giant iPod Touch than a keyboardless Mac. It'd be startling if it didn't have the "i" prefix, for one thing. And it would be equally startling if it did have "tablet" in its name-that word brings to mind all sorts of specific assumptions about form factor, input methods, and the like, most of them associated with Microsoft's failed Tablet PC. An Apple tablet would likely be radically different from the Tablet PC in most ways that matter, so why suggest a link through a similar name? Especially when you could use a different term that you've trademarked, so you don't find yourself competing with knockoff "slates?"
Oldtimers like myself will remember other examples of the use of "slate" as a synonym for "tablet" -- most notably Slate Corporation, an early-1990s company that made applications for Microsoft's first failed tablet platform . . .
http://www.pcworld.com/article/185506/apple_tablet_is_it_the_islate.html
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Apple Bought iSlate.com — Perhaps for a Tablet?
Clever online sleuthing over the weekend led to the discovery of iSlate.com, a domain Apple purchased in 2007. Could the company’s rumored tablet device be called the iSlate?
Wired’s friend Arnold Kim of MacRumors sniffed out the domain-name registrant history, which revealed Apple as the owner of iSlate.com as of 2007. The website is currently inactive, but Kim speculates Apple could be reserving the domain for a tablet product, which is rumored for a January 2010 announcement.
The “Whois” record of iSlate.com provides solid evidence that Apple bought the domain in 2007 and subsequently transferred the address to MarkMonitor.com, a registrar that handles domain registrations for several companies, including Apple. The purpose of the move is presumably to help obscure products prior to release.
That said, it’s still inconclusive that iSlate will be the name of an Apple touchscreen tablet. (It is, after all, still inconclusive that an Apple tablet even exists.) It’s possible iSlate is one of many candidates for a product name — Apple could have chosen several others and purchased domains for those, as well.
But the iSlate mystery only gets more interesting. Further investigation by TechCrunch revealed iSlate was filed as a trademark in 2006 by an unknown Delaware-based company called Slate Computing. No such company appears with a quick web search. The theory is Slate Computing is a dummy corporation set up to conceal Apple as the true owner of the trademark. Apple employed a similar trick with the iPhone trademark, originally filed by Ocean Telecom Services, another anonymous Delaware-based company.
Finally, the iSlate trademark application reveals the signatory of Regina Porter, who, according to her LinkedIn profile, is Apple’s senior trademark specialist. It seems safe to conclude that the owner of the iSlate trademark is Apple.
Comes off as awfully protective, doesn’t it? However, it’s difficult to tell whether secretly registering trademarks and domains so far in advance is a standard procedure for Apple when deciding on product names. We’re in the process of contacting lawyers to get their perspective on Apple’s moves. We’ll keep you posted.
Long story short, Apple at least considered iSlate as the name for a product and took measures to stealthily reserve it. Whether Apple delivers an iSlate next month, this is a marvelous example of internet-detective work. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/apple-bought-islatecom-%E2%80%94-perhaps-for-a-tablet/
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Wired’s friend Arnold Kim of MacRumors sniffed out the domain-name registrant history, which revealed Apple as the owner of iSlate.com as of 2007. The website is currently inactive, but Kim speculates Apple could be reserving the domain for a tablet product, which is rumored for a January 2010 announcement.
The “Whois” record of iSlate.com provides solid evidence that Apple bought the domain in 2007 and subsequently transferred the address to MarkMonitor.com, a registrar that handles domain registrations for several companies, including Apple. The purpose of the move is presumably to help obscure products prior to release.
That said, it’s still inconclusive that iSlate will be the name of an Apple touchscreen tablet. (It is, after all, still inconclusive that an Apple tablet even exists.) It’s possible iSlate is one of many candidates for a product name — Apple could have chosen several others and purchased domains for those, as well.
But the iSlate mystery only gets more interesting. Further investigation by TechCrunch revealed iSlate was filed as a trademark in 2006 by an unknown Delaware-based company called Slate Computing. No such company appears with a quick web search. The theory is Slate Computing is a dummy corporation set up to conceal Apple as the true owner of the trademark. Apple employed a similar trick with the iPhone trademark, originally filed by Ocean Telecom Services, another anonymous Delaware-based company.
Finally, the iSlate trademark application reveals the signatory of Regina Porter, who, according to her LinkedIn profile, is Apple’s senior trademark specialist. It seems safe to conclude that the owner of the iSlate trademark is Apple.
Comes off as awfully protective, doesn’t it? However, it’s difficult to tell whether secretly registering trademarks and domains so far in advance is a standard procedure for Apple when deciding on product names. We’re in the process of contacting lawyers to get their perspective on Apple’s moves. We’ll keep you posted.
Long story short, Apple at least considered iSlate as the name for a product and took measures to stealthily reserve it. Whether Apple delivers an iSlate next month, this is a marvelous example of internet-detective work. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/apple-bought-islatecom-%E2%80%94-perhaps-for-a-tablet/
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Site Claims To Have Full Apple 'iSlate' Specs
Site Claims To Have Full Apple 'iSlate' Specs
Posted by Eric Zeman, Jan 4, 2010 08:52 AM
The last week or so has seen an already intense rumor gain some serious momentum. Yes, we're talking about the fabled Apple Tablet Computer. One site says it has the full spec sheet. If it's real, it's impressive. -->
The last week or so has seen an already intense rumor gain some serious momentum. Yes, we're talking about the fabled Apple Tablet Computer. One site says it has the full spec sheet. If it's real, it's impressive.
I can't vouch for the validity of this information. Phone Arena published the specs the other day, and claim that the information comes from a source inside Apple. Whether or not they are accurate, the list makes for what could be a heck-of-a device.
According to Phone Arena, the iSlate will have a seven-inch screen and run a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache and 1066MHz system bus. It will be sold with 2GB of RAM, but will support up to 8GB. The iSlate will feature a 120GB SATA hard drive that spins at 4200rpm. This I have a hard time believing. No SSD? C'mon.
Other specs include a built-in iSight camera and projector; multitouch display with oleophobic coating; two USB ports and an SD slot; stereo speakers with mic and optical digital output; and gigabit ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Not bad at all, but perhaps a bit far-fetched.
The real kicker is the operating system. According to the spec sheet, the iSlate won't run either OS X Snow Leopard or iPhone OS. Instead, it will run "Mac OS X Clouded Leopard v10.7." Um, what was that again? Clouded Leopard? Does that mean the device will come with a mandatory MobileMe account? We can only guess.
Apps installed include iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, Photo Booth, and Front Row.
*Slap*
-http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/01/site_claims_to.html;jsessionid=PW2PCS250F1WLQE1GHPCKH4ATMY32JVN
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Posted by Eric Zeman, Jan 4, 2010 08:52 AM
The last week or so has seen an already intense rumor gain some serious momentum. Yes, we're talking about the fabled Apple Tablet Computer. One site says it has the full spec sheet. If it's real, it's impressive. -->
The last week or so has seen an already intense rumor gain some serious momentum. Yes, we're talking about the fabled Apple Tablet Computer. One site says it has the full spec sheet. If it's real, it's impressive.
I can't vouch for the validity of this information. Phone Arena published the specs the other day, and claim that the information comes from a source inside Apple. Whether or not they are accurate, the list makes for what could be a heck-of-a device.
According to Phone Arena, the iSlate will have a seven-inch screen and run a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache and 1066MHz system bus. It will be sold with 2GB of RAM, but will support up to 8GB. The iSlate will feature a 120GB SATA hard drive that spins at 4200rpm. This I have a hard time believing. No SSD? C'mon.
Other specs include a built-in iSight camera and projector; multitouch display with oleophobic coating; two USB ports and an SD slot; stereo speakers with mic and optical digital output; and gigabit ethernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. Not bad at all, but perhaps a bit far-fetched.
The real kicker is the operating system. According to the spec sheet, the iSlate won't run either OS X Snow Leopard or iPhone OS. Instead, it will run "Mac OS X Clouded Leopard v10.7." Um, what was that again? Clouded Leopard? Does that mean the device will come with a mandatory MobileMe account? We can only guess.
Apps installed include iTunes, Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, Photo Booth, and Front Row.
*Slap*
-http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/01/site_claims_to.html;jsessionid=PW2PCS250F1WLQE1GHPCKH4ATMY32JVN
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
The Apple iSlate Won't Save Journalism -- Yet
The Apple iSlate Won't Save Journalism -- Yet
"There hasn't been this much hype about a tablet since Moses came down from the mountain," David Carr gushes about the forthcoming Apple tablet, which promises to be something like the missing link between e-reader and computer. I'm excited, too! There's a lot to talk about with Apple's new "iSlate," from tech specs to industry implications. But let's focus on the most proximate question -- for me at least. Can it save journalism?One way to look at the last ten years in online media is that the aughts were the decade when tech savvy Americans learned to expect everything they could read, watch and hear to be free. The next decade will have to be The Empire Strikes Back for media companies. Consumers will have to re-learn the mental muscle memory of paying for what we consume.The e-reader is a huge part of the puzzle. Publishers who blew it by giving away everything for free on computers have a raft of new e-reader gizmos where they can charge for access to their content and train readers to expect to pay for the content. The Apple "iSlate" represents the apotheosis of the early e-reader revolution. Ideally, techies expect a blown-up iPhone with a touchable screen, readable text and goshwow graphics capabilities. This kind of machine combined with an online digital storefront for magazines and newspapers could presumably persuade readers to start paying for the privilege of reading news again. Carr elaborates:
A simple, reliable interface for gaining access to paid content can do amazing things: Five years ago, almost no one paid for music online and now, nine billion or so songs sold later, we know that people are willing to pay if the price is right and the convenience is there.I'm on Carr's side here: salivating for the Apple tablet; excited for the Hulu-for-magazines project; rooting for a Journalism Savior; and so on. But the first step is key. Newspapers and magazines have to eventually put up a paid wall for readers. This is very simple: Nobody will pay for something they can easily get conveniently, and for free. Without a pay wall perimeter around journalism's finest estates, the Apple iSlate won't be a savior. It'll be just another device where we get free stuff.
from -http://business.theatlantic.com/2010/01/the_apple_islate_wont_save_journalism_--_yet.php
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
"There hasn't been this much hype about a tablet since Moses came down from the mountain," David Carr gushes about the forthcoming Apple tablet, which promises to be something like the missing link between e-reader and computer. I'm excited, too! There's a lot to talk about with Apple's new "iSlate," from tech specs to industry implications. But let's focus on the most proximate question -- for me at least. Can it save journalism?One way to look at the last ten years in online media is that the aughts were the decade when tech savvy Americans learned to expect everything they could read, watch and hear to be free. The next decade will have to be The Empire Strikes Back for media companies. Consumers will have to re-learn the mental muscle memory of paying for what we consume.The e-reader is a huge part of the puzzle. Publishers who blew it by giving away everything for free on computers have a raft of new e-reader gizmos where they can charge for access to their content and train readers to expect to pay for the content. The Apple "iSlate" represents the apotheosis of the early e-reader revolution. Ideally, techies expect a blown-up iPhone with a touchable screen, readable text and goshwow graphics capabilities. This kind of machine combined with an online digital storefront for magazines and newspapers could presumably persuade readers to start paying for the privilege of reading news again. Carr elaborates:
A simple, reliable interface for gaining access to paid content can do amazing things: Five years ago, almost no one paid for music online and now, nine billion or so songs sold later, we know that people are willing to pay if the price is right and the convenience is there.I'm on Carr's side here: salivating for the Apple tablet; excited for the Hulu-for-magazines project; rooting for a Journalism Savior; and so on. But the first step is key. Newspapers and magazines have to eventually put up a paid wall for readers. This is very simple: Nobody will pay for something they can easily get conveniently, and for free. Without a pay wall perimeter around journalism's finest estates, the Apple iSlate won't be a savior. It'll be just another device where we get free stuff.
from -http://business.theatlantic.com/2010/01/the_apple_islate_wont_save_journalism_--_yet.php
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
iGuide and iSlate — Two Potential Name Candidates for an Apple Tablet?
Apple’s apparent filing for the “iSlate” trademark and purchase of the iSlate.com domain has some convinced that iSlate will be the official name of Apple’s rumored touchscreen tablet. Some more digging around led to the discovery of a trademark application for “iGuide,” which bears striking similarities to the iSlate application. The theory, then, is iGuide could be another name candidate for an Apple tablet.
MacRumors, who originally reported evidence that Apple purchased iSlate.com, found that the iGuide trademark application was signed by Apple’s senior trademark specialist Regina Porter, who was also the signer of the the iSlate paperwork. The iGuide application describes features that could be part of a general-purpose gadget:
Computer hardware and computer software for accessing, browsing, searching, recording, organizing, storing, transmitting, receiving, manipulating, streaming, reproducing, playing, and reviewing audio, video, games, music, television, movies, photographs, and other multimedia content
Also, a detail perhaps overlooked by MacRumors — the address of the listed applicant, iGuide Media LLC, shares the same address as the applicant listed for iSlate, Slate Computing LLC: “1209 Orange Street, Wilmington DELAWARE.” That address is linked to Corporation Trust, an agency that assists corporations in expediting legal services and other requests. The implication, then, is Apple hired Corporation Trust to file for the iSlate and iGuide trademarks. Corporation Trust presumably set up accounts as “iGuide Media LLC” and “Slate Computing LLC” for filing their respective trademarks.
Wired.com consulted trademark experts to help assess the iSlate trademark application. They declined to speculate on Apple’s plans, but based on the legal expertise they provided, Wired.com finds it inconclusive that a future Apple product will carry either the name iSlate or iGuide.
Jane Wald, chair of the trademark practice group at Irell and Manella, noted to Wired.com that the iSlate trademark has not been registered in the United States; it’s only been filed. In U.S. trademark law, a company can only win registration of a mark once it provides sufficient evidence it is actually selling the product under that name. That means “iSlate” is not a name set in stone; it could be abandoned.
Furthermore, a company can file for multiple trademarks that are potential candidates for a product’s name. However, a company must file for trademarks in good faith, meaning it must at least be considering using the name in commerce.
“If you filed 100 different [marks] for the same product years in advance, you probably wouldn’t be having a good faith intent, but a few of them doesn’t ring alarm bells,” Wald explained in a phone interview.
In summary, based on the appearance of Apple’s trademark specialist on both applications, it’s safe to conclude iSlate and iGuide are trademarks filed by Apple via the agency CT. And if we are to believe iSlate and iGuide are candidates for an Apple tablet, then there could be a few others out there — but not very many.
iGuide, though? Bleh.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/iguide-islate/
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
MacRumors, who originally reported evidence that Apple purchased iSlate.com, found that the iGuide trademark application was signed by Apple’s senior trademark specialist Regina Porter, who was also the signer of the the iSlate paperwork. The iGuide application describes features that could be part of a general-purpose gadget:
Computer hardware and computer software for accessing, browsing, searching, recording, organizing, storing, transmitting, receiving, manipulating, streaming, reproducing, playing, and reviewing audio, video, games, music, television, movies, photographs, and other multimedia content
Also, a detail perhaps overlooked by MacRumors — the address of the listed applicant, iGuide Media LLC, shares the same address as the applicant listed for iSlate, Slate Computing LLC: “1209 Orange Street, Wilmington DELAWARE.” That address is linked to Corporation Trust, an agency that assists corporations in expediting legal services and other requests. The implication, then, is Apple hired Corporation Trust to file for the iSlate and iGuide trademarks. Corporation Trust presumably set up accounts as “iGuide Media LLC” and “Slate Computing LLC” for filing their respective trademarks.
Wired.com consulted trademark experts to help assess the iSlate trademark application. They declined to speculate on Apple’s plans, but based on the legal expertise they provided, Wired.com finds it inconclusive that a future Apple product will carry either the name iSlate or iGuide.
Jane Wald, chair of the trademark practice group at Irell and Manella, noted to Wired.com that the iSlate trademark has not been registered in the United States; it’s only been filed. In U.S. trademark law, a company can only win registration of a mark once it provides sufficient evidence it is actually selling the product under that name. That means “iSlate” is not a name set in stone; it could be abandoned.
Furthermore, a company can file for multiple trademarks that are potential candidates for a product’s name. However, a company must file for trademarks in good faith, meaning it must at least be considering using the name in commerce.
“If you filed 100 different [marks] for the same product years in advance, you probably wouldn’t be having a good faith intent, but a few of them doesn’t ring alarm bells,” Wald explained in a phone interview.
In summary, based on the appearance of Apple’s trademark specialist on both applications, it’s safe to conclude iSlate and iGuide are trademarks filed by Apple via the agency CT. And if we are to believe iSlate and iGuide are candidates for an Apple tablet, then there could be a few others out there — but not very many.
iGuide, though? Bleh.
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/iguide-islate/
http://www.bogotobogo.com, http://www.epicmath.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)