Saturday, January 30, 2010

Fujitsu's IPAD is Apple Canada's EasyPay

(Photo: Fujitsu IPAD, Wall Street Journal, Apple Tablet Draws Jeers, Legal Rumblings Over iPad Name)

Apple's iPad device is getting a certain amount of attention just because of the name. Not only does iPad sound like a feminine hygiene product, Apple is actively attempting to recover Fujitsu's "abandoned" trademark in the US.

It turns out that there's a closer relationship between Apple and Fujitsu's IPAD than has been generally acknowledged. The Wall Street Journal provides the pieces:

The two companies could agree to share the trademark, with Apple potentially paying money in the settlement, legal experts say.

Apple has until late February to file an opposition to Fujitsu's trademark application at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The agency awards trademark registrations, which put other parties on notice that a company has claimed trademark rights. Even if Fujitsu succeeds in getting a trademark registration, it won't necessarily help the company prevail in a potential future court battle with Apple over the name, legal experts say.

And the article includes the above picture of the Fujitsu IPAD.

The Fujitsu IPAD is instantly recognizable to anyone who visits an Apple Store here in Canada as an EasyPay POS (Point of Sale) terminal -- used by Apple Store employees to scan product barcodes and process credit card payments.

(Originally posted at my personal blog: Mischievous Ramblings II)