It appears that iPhone giant Apple doesn’t want anyone using their catchphrase “There’s an app for that,” in any combination other than for Apple products and has thus slapped a trademark on that particular phrase.

According to an article over on Gizmodo by Jesus Diaz, the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted the trademark to Apple, and according to said office a trademark is a “word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of goods of one party from those of others.”

So this means if anyone uses any variation of the Apple trademarked phrase, such as say, “There’s an app for this,” Apple has the legal right to send in their legal guns to beat the living crap out of the offender.

As Diaz says, it is reasonable for companies to trademark names like Rollerblade or Xerox as it keeps their brands as a trademark rather than having them dissolve into the common language, such as it would be wrong for another company to call itself Apple.

However, when it comes to trademarking an English language phrase then it is somewhat of a different matter. Obviously it is legal to do so but should it be, should a company as powerful as Apple be allowed to trademark common phrases just because they can and have the cash behind them to make sure it happens?

What are our reader’s views on this matter, should any company be allowed to place a trademark on anything they like, or should common terms simply be open for all to use as and when? Is Apple becoming just too big for their boots and think they can slap an Apple trademark on anything they desire? Having said that, no doubt anyone who hears “There’s an app for that,” instantly associated the phrase with Apple anyway.