Apple moral: Trademark founder’s name to avoid being branded dumb

Brand recognition is everything, they say. So what do you do to make your clothing company stand out?

Name it “Steve Jobs.”

The Verge reports: “After years of legal battles, a pair of brothers — Vincenzo and Giacomo Barbato — have successfully managed to win a legal battle against Apple, earning the right to call their company ‘Steve Jobs,’ after Apple’s iconic founder.”

How bright are these brothers?

In 2012, the story goes, the pair noticed that Apple had never trademarked Jobs’ name. So away they went.

Then Apple sued.

“But according to la Repubblica Napoli, the tech giant may have lost in court by attacking the brothers specifically over their Steve Jobs logo — a stylized letter ‘J’ with a bite taken out of the side and topped with a very Apple-esque leaf,” The Verge said.

“However, the court ruled that the letter ‘J’ isn’t edible and therefore the bite could not be ripping off Apple’s own iconic logo, and upheld the brothers’ trademark.”

But the battle could be joined again.

Speaking with Business Insider Italia, the brothers said their goal is to sell electronics, “although they have yet to reveal specific plans there — meaning one day, there could very well be a Steve Jobs phone competing in stores right next to Jobs’ own iPhone.”

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