Basically the term iWatch is now so entrenched with the Apple Watch that no one else would think about Probendi’s own product, even though the company has not stated what the iWatch is or what it does, only that they own the trademark.
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As it turns out, a development studio named Probendi in Ireland has held the trademark for the iWatch moniker since 2008.
Generally, customers tend to call the watch from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) as iWatch (a name inspired by the iPhone), and punch same term in the search bar on Google.
This is because Apple doesn’t want to miss out on potential customers, but the company who owns the iWatch trademark in Europe has now seen an opportunity to make some cash, and it looks like a lengthy court battle could follow. Apple and Google declined to comment on the case.
As Bloomberg noted in a Tuesday (July 14) article, Internet searches using “iWatch” as a key term will spur Google’s search engine to return ads for the Apple Watch.
The hearing for the iWatch case is scheduled for November 11, 2015.
On June 26, Ireland-based software and networking service company Probendi sued Apple Inc.
Daniele Di Salvo, CEO and co-founder of Probendi, suggests that its iWatch software helps devices communicate with each other. In part that’s tied to the fact that the smaller firm is working on a smart watch that would be price competitive with Apple, run on Google’s Android platform and be known as the iWatch. But, as of now, the project is “in standby”, said Di Salvo.
Giacomo Bonelli, a lawyer for Probendi said that both the firms facing allegations refused to comment. According to the unnamed sources (so requested because the review remains confidential), that audit valued the iWatch trademark at $97 million.
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In 2012, Apple settled a naming row in China over its right to use the name iPad.
