Apple Patents the Siri Icon

According to a new listing by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple has just secured exclusive rights to the microphone drawing that represents Siri.

Hey, if Apple can claim rights to digital page turning and squares with rounded corners, you can bet your hamster they’ll patent the Siri icon too. This way, no one gets to use the artwork to pretend they’re selling the same voice assistant.

Apple’s granted “claim” is described as “The ornamental design for a display screen or portion thereof with icon, as shown and described.”

And what is shown / described is the all-too-familiar icon featuring a retro RCA-style mic placed right smack in the middle of a circular bezel.

Designer Freddy Anzures and user interface designer Alessandro Francesco Sabatelli are the authors, and Apple Inc. now has full rights over said artwork.

Siri has become a synonym for voice-powered assistive functions like searching the web, finding a location, calling or texting a contact, etc.