14 DAY TRIAL // The Mexican Supreme Court has ruled that a small IT company in Mexico City named iFone is now the rightful owner of the iPhone trademark in the country.
As the story goes, Apple in 2009 attempted to have the dubbing legally secured in Mexico, but the Mexican Industrial Property Institute told the Cupertino, California-based computer giant that this seat was already taken.
iFone had actually managed to register the name in 2003, four years before Steve Jobs pulled out the original iPhone model on stage at the Macworld Expo.
iFone's attorney, Eduardo Gallastegui, said the company suddenly found itself having to defend the brand.
After the Mexican Supreme Court’s ruling, iFone is now permuted to claim rights to at least 40% of Apple’s iPhone sales in Mexico, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The news arrives on the heels of a similar court ruling in Brazil, where a smartphone vendor named Gradiente is now selling Android-powered devices dubbed iPhone.