Denied! Apple’s multi-touch trademark

Never mind that Apple is the most valuable company in the US – they still cannot have their way in everything, as the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has denied Apple the trademark for multi-touch technology, claiming that the term “multitouch” has taken on generic meaning. In more simple terms, this means plenty of other people use it to describe just how touchscreen technology is evident on a slew of other devices apart from Apple’s own range, including Android and Windows smartphones, tablets, and notebooks.

I guess it was a long shot right from the beginning when Apple intended to trademark Multi-Touch – the technology, and not the name. Guess in due time, the meaning is far too generic to fall under the exclusive use of Apple alone, so Apple’s Apple’s trademark request which was filed back in 2007 proved to be a little too late for comfort. Those who have an eye for legal briefs can read about the court’s full decision on the issue here.