On January 13th, Samsung filed trademarks for “Samsung Joy” and “Samsung Fresh.” Both trademarks were registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and labeled as “telephones; smart phones; mobile phones; computer software for mobile phones, portable media players and handheld computers.” No other details were given, but we could certainly see related announcements at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. (more…)

Toymaker Hasbro recently filed a lawsuit against Asus for naming its new convertible Android tablet the “Transformer Prime.” According to The Verge, Hasbro has a pending trademark for “Transformers Prime,” which it used in 2010 for an animated television series. The company also owns four other trademarks related to the “Transformers” name. Hasbro said in a statement that it filed the lawsuit to “aggressively protect its brands,” but it doesn’t appear tha...

Apple recently lost a trademark suit in China after it attempted to sue a Chinese firm for infringing on its iPad trademark. Apple originally filed a complaint against Proview Technology, which argued that it registered for the iPad trademark in 2000, long before Apple introduced the tablet. Proview Technology says it continues to use the iPad moniker in China and several other countries and is now seeking $1.5 billion in compensation from Apple. The iPhone maker has six Apple Stores in China and, according...

A firm named iCloud Communications has filed a lawsuit against Apple over its “iCloud” trademark. Apple announced the new cloud storage and sync service dubbed iCloud during its WWDC keynote last week, and iCloud Communications now wants the Cupertino-based tech giant to get rid of “all labels, signs, prints, insignia, letterhead, brochures, business cards, invoices and any other written or recorded material or advertisements” referring to the service. The company argues that Apple...

After a federal judge ordered Samsung to grant Apple access to several unreleased devices last week, the Korean electronics giant responded by demanding the same access to Apple’s unannounced iPhone 5 and iPad 3. Apple and Samsung are currently tied up in a legal battle surrounding Apple’s claims that several new Samsung devices “copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style.” A judge granted Apple access to Samsung’s Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 10.1...

Amazon on Monday issued its response in court to a lawsuit filed last month by Apple alleging that Amazon’s use of the term “Appstore” infringes on Apple’s “App Store” trademark. Apple’s suit looks to bar Amazon from using the term alongside its new Amazon Appstore for Android. In its response, Amazon called Apple’s claims baseless and insisted that “app store” is a generic term. Amazon even cited Apple’s recent quarterly earnings call, where S...

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s rumor — which claimed Sprint would be unveiling a trio of high-end devices at CTIA — Taiwanese electronics manufacturer HTC has applied for a trademark patent on the name “EVO View 4G.” The name has been thrown around over the past few days, and it is wildly assumed that the device is Sprint’s iteration of the HTC Flyer tablet with a WiMAX radio. CTIA is just a few short weeks away, so if you’re a Sprint customer craving a high-end tab...

Although corporate lawsuits are, for the most part, dull and boring, they can occasionally provide comedic relief. Back in January, we told you about a little nomenclature spat brewing between technology giants Microsoft and Apple. The Redmond-based Windows maker filed a complaint with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claiming that Apple was attempting to trademark a generic term, “App Store.” In its January filing, Microsoft argued that the term App Store is “generic for retail store s...

Cupertino based Apple, Inc. has filed for a trademark on the word “Places” in both the European Union and China, reports Patently Apple. The original filing was submitted on February 23rd and covers international classes 009, 041, 042, and 045. The first three classes cover a hodgepodge of computer services, software, and hardware. But class 045 pertains specifically to social networking services; “providing a social networking website; assisting in the locating of people using a global posi...

Microsoft has asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to deny a trademark request by Apple, Inc. on the name “App Store.” The Redmond software giant called the term “generic” and thinks “competitors should be able to use it.” The trademark application for “App Store” is currently listed as pendingin the USPTO’s system; the Cupertino company has already been granted trademark protection on its App Store slogan “there’s an app for tha...

HTC filed two trademarks this week in order to protect the name of an upcoming tablet. Presumed to be the company’s first entry into the tablet PC space, HTC has trademarked “HTC Scribe” and “Scribe.” According to the description found on each filing, the HTC Scribe will be a “handheld wireless device, namely, a tablet computer.” HTC is expected to launch at least one tablet in early 2011, and it reportedly run the upcoming tablet-optimized version of Google’s A...

Electronics maker Motorola has been quietly filing for patents on the name “Xoom” the world over. The Internet is not-so-quietly speculating that Xoom could be the moniker given to the company’s Android-based tablet that has already made several cameos. Moto has, thus far, filed for protections in the U.S., EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. If this is in fact the name to be given to the company’s tablet, we at BGR would like to congratulate Motorola for not includ...

A new trademark filing uncovered Tuesday suggests that the Sony Ericsson PlayStation Phone may launch as the “Xperia Play.” One of the earliest sources of information surrounding the still-unannounced smartphone suggested that the device would launch with Xperia branding, and this is the first indication that the rumor could be true. The news is anything but confirmed, however. Here’s what we know: Sony Ericsson has applied for a European trademark for “Xperia Play,” along with ...

If, for whatever reason, you aren’t fond of Apple’s “there’s an app for that” slogan, you might not love the following news. The U.S. patent and trademark office has granted Apple, Inc. a trademark for their oh-so-familiar App Store slogan, “there’s an app for that.” The filing was initially made in December of 2009 and, just recently, the slogan was legally given to Apple. After all, there’s an app for that™ looks way better than there’s an app fo...