Apple is working on a settlement with a fledgling meal prep company whose pear logo wanted to ban it because it looked too much like its own famous emblem.
Prepear’s logo – a pear with a leaf on it – “is immediately reminiscent of Apple’s famous Apple logo and creates a similar commercial impression,” the Silicon Valley giant said in a lawsuit in the summer, adding that the agreements ” ordinary consumers to believe “that Prepear is” affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. “
But in an application to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent and Trademark Office, first reported by MacRumors, Apple asked for the proceedings to be suspended for 30 days while “the parties are actively negotiating the settlement. of this case. “
Super Healthy Kids – the company behind the Prepear app, which allows people to save recipes and create meal plans – had accused Apple of “abusing their dominance by going after small businesses already grappling with the effects of Covid-19. , “And promised to fight Apple” not only to keep our logo, but also to send a message to big tech companies that the bullying of small businesses is affecting. “
The startup launched a Change.org campaign in August in the hope that Apple would pull out. The petition has already yielded 269,000 signatures.
If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the dispute will resume on January 23, with the first lawsuits in March.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.