A Dublin-based company has sued Apple Inc. for trademark rights on the iWatch, which it owns in Europe. Probendi, a software development studio, filed an urgent procedure before a court in Milan in protest of Apple's use of the iWatch term especially for ad word search, according to Bloomberg.
Court documents obtained by Bloomberg indicate that, "Apple has systematically used iWatch wording on Google search engine in order to direct customers to its own website, advertising Apple Watch."
Like any other company these days doing marketing over Google, Apple had bought and used iWatch as one of their ad words that immediately directs to their webpage.
There is yet a case that won regarding trademark issues taken up against Google and its advertisers. Geico, American Airlines and Rosetta Stone have tried to sue for a similar claim, but have failed.
Probendi's lawyer, Giacomo Bonelli, told Bloomberg that Apple had not replied to the company's requests and objections. "Google said they are not responsible for links," he said.
Apple and Google had declined to comment on the case, said Sydney Morning Herald
Probendi had a smartwatch project also called iWatch but runs on Google's Android software and could be priced lower than that of Apple's, according to Probendi's co-founder Daniele Di Salvo. Di Salvo had warned Apple last year over the use of the name.
This is not the first time that Apple Inc. faced a trademark dispute. It recently settled a $60 million trademark issue on the iPad with a Chinese company. The iWatch trademark case could cost the company another $97 million, according to an audit conducted by Barzano & Zanardo, Bloomberg reported.
Probendi's case against Apple will be heard Nov.11.
