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Apple has added yet another trademark to their coffers, this time for the term “Lightning.” But what’s most interesting about it is who they have acquired it from: None other than Harley-Davidson.
Patently Apple is reporting that the EU Patent & Trademark Office has just published two Apple trademark applications for the term “Lightning,” the company’s new small-form dock connector for its iOS devices.
The application numbers 011399821 and 011399862 reveal that Apple actually acquired the trademark from H-D Michigan, Inc., who had protected their rights to the name until 2013.
So who is “H-D Michigan, Inc.”? A little investigate work has revealed the owner is none other than Harley-Davidson, who uses the H-D Michigan company as its intellectual property holding firm.
“At first glance I thought that the transfer of the trademark from Harley-Davidson to Apple illustrated Harley’s original International Classes of 009 and 028, especially because it covers items such as motorcycle electrical parts, protective helmet and turn signals,” Patently Apple explains. “However, it goes on to protect television sets, games, computer game programs, eye glasses and eyeglass frames; things that would have nothing to do with Harley-Davidson.”
The application notes that the Lightning trademark appears to be a partial transfer, meaning that Harley-Davidson may have retained use of the term for some of their own uses unrelated to Apple.
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