Jobs explains App Store rejections over “pad” trademark
Chris Ostmo, developer of journalPad and journalPad Bible edition, emailed Steve Jobs (yes, as readers will know, Jobs actually replies to some of these, though in a terse one-liner, generally) after he got a notice from the App Store telling him that he had to change the names of his apps to get updated. Job's one-line reply:
"It's just common sense not to use another company's trademarks in your app name."Indeed, while Apple owns the iPad trademark, it had to buy it from Fujitsu.
Additionally, there's no way a generic term like "pad" could be trademarked. It is true, however, that Apple's Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights say:
Third parties cannot use a variation, phonetic equivalent, foreign language equivalent, takeoff, or abbreviation of an Apple trademark for any purpose. For example:The real story here isn't about the developer. Common sense says an argument about the use of the word "Pad" would not hold up in court, despite these guidelines. The real story here is Apple's sheer arrogance on the issue (perhaps Apple should start trying to sue over use of the word "phone").
Not acceptable: Appletree / Jackintosh / Apple Cart / PodMart
Whatever Apple wants in terms of development for the iPhone, Apple gets, whether or not its legally enforceable. That's what most Apple developers would admit, if pressed.
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