Apple’s lawyers are currently suing the Rhein-Voreifel Touristik association. The reason: The logo of the cycle path should be too close to the Apple logo.
Apple is known for protecting its logo very rigidly. Anything that comes close to the stylized apple makes the acquaintance of Apple’s legal department. This is often justified, and those who have already built up a well-known one for their company can follow these steps.
Sometimes, however, the legal department is a little too motivated and has logos on the radar, not necessarily in danger of being confused with Apple’s apple. At the moment it is the Apfelroute called bike path of the German Rhein-Voreifel Touristik, which consists of four members. The association writes on its site, why the path was named that way:
The Rhenish apple route leads over 120 km through the largest fruit and vegetable growing region in NRW: past numerous fruit farms, through apple and cherry orchards with the Eifel mountains on the horizon to the Rhine.
So you drive right through apple orchards the logo is of course comprehensible. As the WDR writes, the green leaf is a thorn in the side of Apple’s lawyers. This actually reminds a bit of Apple’s sustainability logo, in which only the leaf of the whole logo is colored.
But it has to be said that it is a different green and the shape is a different one. In addition, the curved arrow of the logo describes a circle or really round apple in contrast to Apple’s chosen shape. Last but not least, the two clearly placed words “apple route” should exclude confusion.
The association has already registered a trademark and the logo with the German Patent and Trademark Office in 2018. According to a trademark attorney, Apple’s claims are also not tenable.
