As I continue to say, it isn’t just the iPhone that the Chinese tend to like ripping off, we’ve already see how the knock off merchants in China have ripped off Apple by opening fake Apple stores, and now it appears that the famous Apple logo is in danger of being ripped off according to Apple.
According to an article over on 9to5 Mac, by way of Go Chendoo, Sichuan Fangguo Food Co. Ltd, based in Sichan China has knocked off Apple’s famous apple logo and Apple is claiming trademark infringement by the food company.
The company produces noodles and flour, and Apple’s Chinese lawyers say that the logo features “conceptual elements” taken from Apple’s logo.
Zhao Yi, the CEO of Fangguo says, “There’s a leaf so you can tell it’s an apple, but it also contains two Chinese characters. … The orientation is also different, and ours is a totally different shape. When I started Fangguo, I had never even heard of Apple.”
Apparently Apple lawyer sent the food company a letter on the 19th of July asking them to respond and mentions two complaints, the first being the trademark infringement of the logo and the second stating that the company has applied to register the logo in 16 differing product categories including “electronic game software” and “notebook computers” which of course would overlap into Apple’s domain.
Yi doesn’t seem too bothered about Apple though as he said, “I’m Fangguo, it’s a fruit, if the leaf is removed, it’ll just look like a bomb. Anyway, the law firm who sent the letter hasn’t contacted me since they sent it.”
Have to say though, personally I thing there’s no mistaking the Apple logo, and the food company’s logo doesn’t really look too much like Apple’s, and if anything perhaps LG should be hitting the food company with a trademark complaint as it looks like they have merged both Apple and LG logo, but take away that leaf and it wouldn’t look anything like the Apple logo…agree or disagree.