A Brazilian electronics company by the name of IGB Electronica SA has revealed its intention to release a fleet of Android smartphones under brand "IPHONE", a trademark the company originally applied for all the way back in 2000 in Brazil.
The decision to utilize the name will likely be like red rag to a bull to Apple, a company with a reputation for not holding back when it comes to litigation. The company is notorious for shutting down anything which attempts to infringe on its product range, and although the fact IGB registered the trademark earlier should mean any subsequent argument null and void in the view of you and I, the Cupertino company has an uncanny knack for getting its own way.
Little is known of the patent itself, although it’s likely only to apply within the confinements of Brazil. The Apple iPhone does sell there, but due to the levels of tax, it costs nearly three times as much as it does in the United States. For example, when the iPhone 4S launched late last year in the South American nation, it cost consumers the equivalent of $1,830 USD for the 64GB version – a thousand dollars more than it would have cost to purchase within the United States.
IGB Electronica SA could, theoretically, capitalize on this with the IPHONE, although if you’re looking to make a legitimate competitor to one of the market’s leading handsets, releasing it under the same name is a sure-fire way to cause issues from the get-go.
With such little information, it’s hard to ascertain exactly why IGB is deciding to use the IPHONE branding, and what’s more intriguing, is why it wants to utilize it now.
Still, it’s an interesting story nonetheless, and we’ll keep an eye out for more details on the so-called IPHONE. The idea of using a smartphone under that name, but have it running on Android, is a completely alien concept to many of us, one has to wonder whether IGB Electronica plans to give its range any further remnants of the iOS-running smartphone.
Should any developments arise, we’ll be sure to keep you guys in the loop, so stay tuned!
(via MacRumors)
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