You don't have to look far to see the impression that Apple products have made on American culture. Stories of people engrossed in their iPhones while doing mundane tasks infiltrate the news and it is not uncommon to be seated in a crowded train and notice that most people have their noses stuck in their iPhones, completely unaware of what is going on around them.
As a result of the popularity of Apple products, the Apple logo has become a well known symbol of the technology giant. In fact, the Apple logo has become so important to the company that it has caused Apple to chase after entities using similar logos in order to preserve the association of the picture of an apple with its brand image.
In one such instance, Apple requested that a small café, Apfelkind, in the center of a small German city withdraw its trademark application for its logo of a child's face within a red apple because Apple claimed customers could confuse the two logos. Christin Romer, the owner of the café, refused to withdraw the application and two years worth of legal correspondence ensued between the two entities. Romer claimed that she only intended to use the Apfelkind logo on branded mugs, keyrings and carrier bags.
Ultimately, in the beginning of October, Apple withdrew its objection, which enables Apfelkind to keep marketing with its apple logo. Other entities have not been as lucky, so keep your eye out for this situation to arise again in the future.
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