The term “iWatch” is something that hasn’t been seen all that often as of late, ever since Apple announced that their wearable would actually be called the Apple Watch.
Though, for anyone that was keeping tabs on the rumors swirling around Apple’s smartwatch, the iWatch name was what was commonly used to refer to the then unannounced device. Despite the fact that Apple went with the Watch name, the company has apparently been buying sponsored advertisements in Europe for “iWatch,” in an effort to get people to see the Apple Watch when using the wrong term to search for the product.
According to Irish software development studio Probendi, that’s an issue. The company has held a trademark for “iWatch” since 2008, which is tied to its health and safety communications software. According to Probendi, via Bloomberg:
“Apple has systematically used iWatch wording on Google search engine in order to direct customers to its own website, advertising Apple Watch,” says a tribunal filing obtained by Bloomberg. “Apple never replied to our requests and objections, while Google said they are not responsible for links.“
Apple, for what it’s worth, filed for the iWatch trademark in several different countries, including Turkey, Mexico, Russia, Japan, Taiwan, and others.
Searching for “iWatch” through Google in several different European countries, as noted by MacRumors, brings up the Apple Watch as the primary result. Google has said that when it comes to its own ad network, it will “investigate and may enforce certain restrictions on the use of that trademark in AdWords text ads.” However, it has done nothing in this particular situation as of yet.
The first hearing in this case will be held on November 11 in a court in Milano.
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