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Applications for "There's an App"

By Johanna Gibson, David Pearce, Jeremy Phillips and Ilanah Simon.

Registering "There's an app for that" was a piece of cake in the US, but Europe may prove more resistant

Matthew Rippon was first.  Lawrence Ryz was last.  Between the two there were many kind souls who sent the IPKat this link to Apple's latest venture into the world of trade mark protection.  The Unofficial Apple Weblog ("Apple trademarks "There's an app for that", here) has spotted the  iToys-to-die-for company's US trade mark for the slogan "There's an app for that."  To be fair to Apple, (i) that tagline has been used to promote Apple's App Store and iOS devices almost since their inception, and (ii) Apple doesn't really have much credible competition anyway in the minds of many consumers, who assume that "App" is just the first three letters of Apple.  Indeed, in some parts of this noble planet, the Kat understands, the slogan has become a jokey colloquialism-cum-conversation-booster, frequently deployed by people when they can't think of a sensible response to what someone else has just said to them. The trade mark, for which Apple filed on 4 December 2009, covers

"Retail store services featuring computer software provided via the Internet and other computer and electronic communication networks; retail store services featuring computer software for use on handheld mobile digital electronic devices and other consumer electronics".

Intrigued to see what Apple might be planning on the Eastern side of the Pond, the IPKat checked the warm and user-friendly online search facility of the UK's Intellectual Property Office, where he was rewarded with details of International Madrid (EU) Trade Mark U00001043881 (first designation of the EU for IR 1043881).  Opting for English as its first language and Italian as the second, the applicant boldly went for protection in Classes 09, 35, 38, 42.

The IPKat is genuinely sad that Apple has been so precise and selective in its list of goods and services.  He had hoped that the Cupertino company would be registering its slogan for ashtrays, knitting patterns, meat cleavers and all the other strange things that get inadvertently left in trade mark applications these days -- but it was not to be.  The big question, though, is whether we dull and unimaginative Europeans, on looking at the words "There's an app for that", would ever think "Gosh, that's an indication as to the identity of the origin of goods and services in respect which that slogan is used", rather than "Oh, I suppose there it ..."

Contributions of "There's an app for that" to the cultural enrichment of humanity here, here and here

Full post as published by IPKat on October 12, 2010 (boomark / email).