by Apple will face competition in Europe for the “iWatch” trademark it has already filed for in Japan, Taiwan and Mexico, because other companies have already registered the name in relevant trademark categories.
Among them is Probendi, an Italian company that is also incorporated in the U.S. In February 2009, Probendi registered the European trademark for iWatch with OHIM, the European Union agency responsible for registering trade marks and designs that are valid in all 28 countries of the E.U.
OHIM
Probendi owns the word mark for “iWatch” and uses it for a mobile phone application that sends real-time audio, video, and location data to an online emergency and security support system that can be used by emergency services, according to a brochure about the product. Daniele Di Salvo, Probendi’s director, could not immediately comment on Friday on Apple’s trademark filings.
That Probendi owns the word mark in the E.U. doesn’t mean that Apple cannot apply for a European “iWatch” trademark, said Margarita Garcia of OHIM’s information center. “We are an administrative institution, we do not refuse applications,” she said. “We cannot be a party in these battles.”
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