Apple has trademarked its minimalist store design. Though it seems over the top, the company has good reason to protect its look: Fake Apple stores cropped up in China last year.
Officially as of last week, there's nothing quite like Apple's stores. After an array of patents of its products, Apple has decided to go whole hog and trademark its minimalist store design. The trademark was approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Jan. 22, Reuters reported.
The trademark's description includes the glass storefront windows, "surrounded by a paneled facade" and the signature "oblong table with stools ... set below video screens flush mounted on the back wall."
According to the Patent and Trademark Office, Apple began the process of patenting the design of its 250 U.S. stores and those in a dozen other countries in May 2010.
"After being rejected twice by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which claimed the store design was not 'inherently distinctive,' Apple submitted additional materials and drawings, and gained the trademark on its mall-centric, rectangular store layouts," Wired reported.
Even though it seems overprotective of an image, Apple isn't the first tech giant to acquire a trademark for its store design — Microsoft did it for its stores in 2011.
Apple also has good reason to be paranoid. Last year, a fake Apple store cropped up in China that "looked so authentic, even the upbeat salespeople thought they were working for Apple."
When it was discovered the store was selling Apple products, Chinese authorities ordered the store closed, as well as 20 other bootleg retailers.
What will Apple trademark next?
Lizzy Duffy is an intern on NPR's Social Media Desk.
9(MDA1MTczMTM4MDEyNzM1OTUxMzg5ZDUyMw004))
Filed in:
corporate taxes.">
Book News: Amazon May Be Called Before Parliament Over Taxes
Also: AARP and The Nation join growing list of ebook publishers; Anne Applebaum on Sheryl Sandberg.READ MORE
Google's Privacy Shift Powers New Customized Maps
The new Google Maps features tailor-made results based on users' habits and search histories.READ MORE
Twitter Users Risk Damnation, Saudi Religious Police Say
A top sheikh says anyone using social media sites "has lost this world and his afterlife."READ MORE
Book News: Amazon's Tiny Tax Payment Draws Fresh Scrutiny
Also: Afaa Michael Weaver on being a black poet abroad; Cormac McCarthy's beach body.READ MORE
A New 'Smart Rifle' Decides When To Shoot And Rarely Misses
The TrackingPoint rifle is so effective, some say it shouldn't be sold to the public.READ MORE
Google Launches A Streaming Music Service
On Wednesday the company launched All Access, which will directly compete with Spotify and Pandora.READ MORE




