American multinational technology company Apple Inc. seems to want the rights to the image of apples - the fruit - in Switzerland. This is a concern for the Fruit Union Suisse, a 111 years old fruit farmer’s organization in Switzerland. For most of its history, it has had as its symbol a red apple with a white cross; the Swiss national flag superimposed on one of its most common fruits. Now, the group, which is the oldest and largest fruit farmer’s organization in Switzerland, worries it might have to change its logo.
While the case has left Swiss fruit growers puzzled, it’s part of a global trend. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s records, Apple has made similar requests to dozens of IP authorities around the world, with varying degrees of success.
Authorities in Japan, Turkey, Israel, and Armenia have acquiesced. Apple’s quest to own the IP rights of something as generic as a fruit speaks to the dynamics of a flourishing global IP rights industry, which encourages companies to compete obsessively over trademarks they don’t really need.
Source: wired.co.uk