The company with the Midas touch, Apple, is synonymous with the iPhone; however, the Cupertino-based company is in danger of losing its iPhone trademark in Brazil.

Follow us

According to a Reuters report, Gradiente Eletronica SA (a Brazilian consume electronics maker) had registered the "iphone" name way back in 2000, seven years prior to Apple launching its iconic smartphone.

Even though Gradiente didn't launch its Android-run "iphone" until last December, legally the Brazilian company holds the trademark in the country. The copyright laws will be in Gradiente's favor and not Apple's, which may result in the latter losing the iPhone name in Brazil.

"Brazil's copyright regulator will strip Apple Inc of the right to use its iPhone trademark in Latin America's biggest market and granted the trademark to a local company that registered it first, a source familiar with the decision said on Tuesday," reported Reuters.

Reuters "source" also let on that the Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property will announce its decision on Feb. 13. If the ruling is not in Apple's favor, then the company can challenge the decision in court.

Apple has been embroiled in legal tussles with several companies over the years. In 2007, prior to the launch of its iPhone, Apple wrested the rights for the iPhone name from Cisco Systems. Subsequently, Cisco sued Apple and the two eventually settled the dispute in Feb. 2007.

As it stands, Apple has chosen to stay mum on the matter and an official declined to comment. On the other hand, per a Techno Buffalo report, Gradiente said that it is "open to dialogue."

With the Feb. 13 date not far away, we'll soon know what ensues: whether the decision is in Apple's favor, or if it will lose the rights to the iPhone name in one of the biggest emerging markets.

Join Our Conversation

Smartphones

Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Official Firmware Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 Via XXEMD2 [How To Install]

Windows Phone Took Third Spot From BlackBerry In Latest Worldwide Market Share Report

Amazon Deals Of The Day: Sony Xperia Z, Jabra HALO2 Bluetooth Stereo Headset And More

Sprint Releases Software Update For HTC One: Key Sensitivity Issues To Be Fixed

Tablet / Laptop / PC

Nexus 7 Refresh Teased In Google+ Hangouts Video, Sports Glowing Notification Light

AMD Unleashes Radeon 8900M Mobile GPU: Get It In MSI GX70 Gaming Laptop

Dell XPS 10 Drops Price To $300, Marking A New Low For Windows RT

HP Slatebook x2 Convertible Laptop Rocks Nvidia Tegra 4, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

Gadgets

Next Microsoft Xbox To Sport Dashboard UI Update And Tile Changes

Google Media Streamer Hits FCC To Replace Nexus Q

Google Glass Raises Lawmakers' Concerns: Congress Demands Answers About Privacy

Seven New Apps Coming To Google Glass: Facebook, Twitter, And Evernote Included

OS / Software

Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean Official Firmware Update For Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300 Via XXEMD2 [How To Install]

Windows Phone Took Third Spot From BlackBerry In Latest Worldwide Market Share Report

Sprint Releases Software Update For HTC One: Key Sensitivity Issues To Be Fixed

Samsung Galaxy S4 Gets TCO Certification

Internet / Social Media

Yahoo Is Eyeing Tumblr

Google I/O 2013: Chrome Web Browser Now Has 750 Million Active Users

Google I/O 2013: Google Maps Gets New UI And Google+ Hangouts Shows Massive Improvements

Gtalk Chat Integration Coming To Outlook.com

What's App

Intellicam App Brings First Hands-Free Camera Feature To Windows Phone 8

Seven New Apps Coming To Google Glass: Facebook, Twitter, And Evernote Included

Itsdagram Available Now For Windows Phone: Best Instagram Client Around

Google I/O 2013: Chrome Web Browser Now Has 750 Million Active Users