It seems that Apple may have to come up with a new brand name for its popular Mighty Mouse mouse. A small Maryland company, Man & Machine, has successfully obtained a trademark registration for the brand name Mighty Mouse for “computer cursor control devices, namely, computer mice”, claiming a date of first use of March 16, 2004. Since this March 2004 date of first use predates Apple’s first sale of its Mighty Mouse mouse by more than a year, Apple cannot claim superior rights to the brand name. Interestingly, Apple had been using the Mighty Mouse name under a license from CBS, the current owner of the trademark rights to the cartoon character Mighty Mouse. However, by granting a federal trademark registration to the Maryland company, the USPTO has given Man & Machine to right use the name without obtaining a similar license from CBS. No word yet on whether Apple will seek a license from Man & Machine to continue to use the name.
Apple’s Mouse No Longer Mighty
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