How Apple Wants to OWN Images of Real Apples (Dystopian)

This video explores Apple's controversial attempt to trademark generic images of apples. This is about trademark law, the rise of the Intellectual Property Rights industry, and Apple's history of aggressive trademarks.
It delves into the concerning implications of this controversial move, exploring the potential impact on organizations using apples in their logos. From the iconic Beatles’ music label, Apple Corps, to a simple cycling path in Germany, no logo seems safe from Apple's reach.
Apple's actions raise questions about the extent of corporate power and trademark law. Apple's history of aggressive trademarks says a lot about the rise of the Intellectual Property Rights industry. Nobody should own images of apples.
Chapters
0:00 Apple Wants To Trademark Images of Apples
0:57 Apple's History of Trademark Battles
2:14 The Rise of the Intellectual Property Rights industry
3:27 Consequences of Apple's Trademarks Actions
4:39 How Far Can Trademarks Go?
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All materials in this video are used for educational purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement is intended. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with using said material, please get in touch with me.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

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[@sub-jec-tiv]

They stole it from The Beatles. Look it up, Steve was like ‘i always liked Apple Records’ name…’ next thing you know, Apple Computers.

[@ratatatuff]

All Steve Jobs has ever done was stealing. That guy is a disgrace, yet some suckers worship him for his vileness.

[@mobleywho]

And they had a "gentlemen's agreement" that The Beatles would let them use the name if Jobs/Apple promised to never get into the music business. Obviously, Apple went back on their word...that's why The Beatles weren't on iTunes for years

[@mopdaddy5154]

He also wanted to be in the phonebook before his former employer, Atari

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@sub-jec-tiv - Which makes this whole story even more ridiculous. They claim that depictions of apples are intrinsically related to their brand, and the idea of having a brand with that name was not even their own idea.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@mobleywho - I didn't know about that! Thanks for adding that background. This makes it even worse.

[@sthenios7026]

I refuse to believe there is a company named a literal fruit name. That's ridiculous.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Haha it's quite ridiculous, yes. But then the company claims to have exclusive rights to depict that fruit. Surreal.

[@elFulberto]

What is a better way to strengthen your brand that to try and legally deny the image of a universal fruit to the rest of the humanity?

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@elFulberto - Exactly, at some point the bad press that comes with such aggressive actions will be a problem for Apple in terms of having a bad reputation. They seem to underestimate that.

[@belckan549]

Cool video. It'd be interesting to make a deeper dive into the reasoning of Apple's ridiculously abusive and litigious policy on copyright, and the system that encourages it.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Hi @belckan549! Thanks for your comment. Happy you liked it. Yes, that's a great idea. I thought about making this video longer and more detailed, but I would need to find a way to get into the nitty-gritty of copyright and trademark issues not boring. This particular story felt like a way to talk about this in a way that grabs people's attention and doesn't require more technical explanations. In any case, I will explore the idea of making a longer video related to this!

[@Ramses_II]

I already held a grudge against apple Inc. now I hate them. I just don't see a competitive advantage that would lead apple to pay for all of this.

[@doctorpanigrahi9975]

Free publicity

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@Ramses_II - It helps to create a monopoly over time. That's part of the plan to obtain even larger profits. But I wonder whether they are underestimating the negative consequences of bad press.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@doctorpanigrahi9975 - I don't know, I see your point but I feel like most people already know Apple, if anything this can just make them have a bad reputation over time.

[@annluminous5787]

The best video on this channel so far!

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Anonymousgaming523]

It's so bad that a company existing 60 years before the biggest company in the world has to change their logo because of them. Law is a joke.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Totally agree. It doesn't make any sense.

[@robertdeckard2136]

I thought this was a joke when I clicked on it.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Haha I understand that. The whole story is surreal. But they are very serious about it.

[@julietteyork6293]

Keep going - great content

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Thanks, I will keep working on this channel!

[@kevinconrad6156]

Trademark is out of control.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Agreed! Thanks for watching.

[@rahul_j]

Really informative video.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Glad you think so! Thanks for the comment :)

[@hawks9142]

Wait till you learn about the gmo market. A company owns THE apple, not even an image of it. The apple itself they own

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@hawks9142 - That's a topic I definitely want to do a video about. The fact that a fruit as such can be patented is even more dystopian. The intellectual property sector is wild.

[@hawks9142]

@@PigeonsSoapbox It's infuriating. If you want to make it even more dystopic here's another sad fact. Alot of the gmo products aren't even concerned with making a better product for consumers, taste and nutrition has been declining for years, but it's for pesticide resistance. Pesticides the company also owns. It makes the field toxic to other types of seeds and the farmers becomes reliant on that one specific company. It happened to my brother, he finally had enough of Monsanto but had to wait 3 years before he could grow anything else because his soil was poison to anything not grown in a lab.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

@hawks9142 - Yes, and GMO are also a great way to make farmers dependent on the seeds provided... by the same company. Monopoly 101. The seeds, the fruit, and the pesticides needed, all are property of the same company. Sorry to hear about your brother. Monsanto is probably one of the worst examples ever of profit-seeking without any moral standards. The fact that these practices have not been banned yet is insane.

[@miravlix]

I guess it went complete over your head that it isn't about winning the trademark? It's about scaring the crap out of everyone and making them avoid apples... This is monopoly tactics 101, throw money at things to stop others from even trying.

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Hi! Thanks for your comment. It didn’t go over my head. That’s why towards the end of the video I explained how the threat of expensive litigation against a huge company like Apple can be enough to intimidate small organisations, and that if you grant Apple exclusive rights over depictions of apples, we might end up in a situation in which other people cannot use images. But I think that the development of the trademark industry is also part of the explanation. In any case, this was a short video, I didn’t go into the details of Apple developing a monopoly or the nitty-gritty of trademarks. The goal of this video was simply to show how trademark law can be used to claim ownership over universal symbols.

[@almostinanambo]

New Zealand E tier?

[@bobbylahiri2012]

They can sue illustrated Bibles for depicting the Forbidden Fruit

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Haha, give them time...

[@msd5808]

He can have the Washington ones and maybe the Galas, but please not the Cosmic Crisps! I love those!😂

[@superemma1785]

Cosmic crisps where designed in a lab at washington state university, they are as washington as they come! (Dont worry they just bred trees nothing scary)

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

I don't think I have ever tried those! I'm pro-Fuji and Gala apples.

[@treverthetree]

Comment for engagement!

[@PigeonsSoapbox]

Hahaha thanks for that! It does help. Appreciate it, @treverthetree.