Apple Inc. (AAPL) iWatch Trademark: Trouble For Cupertino?

Earlier in the week, we brought you a story about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) seeking an iWatch trademark in Japan. This is something that has many people excited, as they hope the Cupertino based company announces the development of a wearable watch at some point in the near future. Not only is this something consumers are keeping an eye on, but investors are doing the same.

While the rumors about Apple working on an iWatch continue to swirl, the real fun may be on the trademark front. Will the company really be able to use the term iWatch? Or is it going to run into trouble sooner rather than later in some parts of the world?

There is reason to believe that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may face obstacles with an iWatch trademark in the United States, China, and United Kingdom. It goes without saying that this could end up costing the company a considerable amount of time and money.

Electronista.com recently touched on this, explaining the finer details of the situation Apple is facing at the present time. Here is a brief excerpt to get you up to speed:

“After reports of Apple’s trademarking of the term “iWatch” in a number of countries, it has been discovered that the name has already been trademarked for some time in the US, the UK and, in what could be a troubling development, China. In fact, China has previously trademarked both the term “iWatch” and “iWatching,” reports Chinese news journal Sina Tech. In the US, a company that was trying to raise funds to manufacture a smartwatch (but was unsuccessful) already trademarked the name, while the UK trademark is used for a monitoring smartphone app.”

This puts Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in a precarious situation. Of course, it has a couple of options. At the top of the list, Apple has to be considering the purchase of these trademarks in these regions. Along with this idea, it is always possible that the company could opt for another name for its smart watch.

It is crazy to think that so many companies have already registered the iWatch trademark in regions around the globe. This includes many of the largest  markets for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), such as the United States and China.

It will be interesting to see what Apple decides to do if it does indeed announce a smart watch at some point in the near future.