Apple sued a Ukrainian director for making a comedy film named ‘Apple-Man’
We’ve seen Apple involved in a variety of legal battles regarding the products it sells and its services however this case is different. The company based in Cupertino has launched a lawsuit against Ukrainian filmmaker Vasyl Moskalenko who directed the comedy film “Apple-Man.”
One thing you could think is that the film contains a reference to Apple (the business) however, it doesn’t. Instead, it’s an attempt to mock popular superheroes, as the main character is possessed of the ability to raise apples (yes that’s right, that fruit). The film was financed by crowdsourcing on Kickstarter which raised around $120,000.However, Apple’s legal department appears to be less than thrilled to see the name of the company in a comedy film. iPhone from Canada has reported that Apple has issued a notice of protest and has initiated legal actions in the case of “Apple-Man” as well as director Moskalenko.
Although the Apple-Man director claimed that his film was already accepted through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Apple seeks to get the trademark registration refused by presenting “an aggressive challenge.”
Apple has begun trials against Moskalenko because of concerns that customers may be inclined to believe Apple-Man has been “associated with, approved or endorsed through Apple,” the company declared in its 467-page court document.
Moskalenko asserts that the lawsuit from Apple is an example of “trademark and a shaming” because the film does not make reference to Apple products. The director is worried that he’ll be forced to pay for all the funds raised through crowdfunding to fight the lawsuit or if he is forced to “delete” his film.
My film concerns apples. which are the fruit. […] I’ll be forced to spend the majority of my Kickstarter funds for litigation. […] Should my application is rejected I can’t be sure that Apple would not be able to force the deletion of my film once it is released.
While Moskalenko hopes to find a solution to the problem with Apple, however, Apple hasn’t released any information regarding the situation.
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