USPTO Rejects Apple’s Application for iPad Mini Trademark

Recently, the USPTO, meaning the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the application intended by Apple concerning the trademark for the term “iPad Mini”. The office proved its point by suggesting the fact that the word “mini” is “merely descriptive” of goods and services sold in a small form.

Apple filled in an application for obtaining trademark for their well-known iPad Mini. The application was filled in November, last year, and it required a trademark for a “handheld mobile digital electronic device comprising a tablet computer, electronic book, periodical reader, digital audio and video player, camera, electronic personal organizer, personal digital assistant, electronic calendar, and mapping and global positioning system (GPS) device, and capable of providing access to the Internet and sending, receiving and storing messages and other data.”

The application is pretty old as you can see, but the Trademark Office only reviewed it a couple of months ago, more precisely in January. However, we get to see the letter Apple received only now. However, within that letter, the USPTO suggests the fact that the rejection is caused by the fact “the applied-for mark merely describes a feature or characteristic of applicant’s goods”.

In order to be more specific, I will show you a couple of things the letter contains. First of all, the rejection was explained as being less descriptive for the product services, especially when the “i” in front of the word iPad is related to the internet-related services while the “mini” stands for a smaller version of a similar product. The letter also states the fact that marks, which contain and combine different descriptive terms while preserving their descriptive meaning in relation to goods and services, are not registrable.

Apparently, the “iPad Mini” term combined, does not create a unique and non-descriptive meaning, thus being rejected by the Trademark Office.

Within the official letter, the USPTO presented various other evidences from the Internet that attest the previous statement. From their part, based on the already-mentioned arguments, the Office suggests the fact that the word “mini” describes the small size of various gods sold in miniature, and it is not enough to describe a feature for the Apple product, and namely a smaller iPad, or the small-sized tablet computer.

Apple has the right and possibility to fill in an appeal application, but the whole process will last some time. For this, the Fruit Company will have to address to the office’s reason for denial service. Since the rejection is not final, Apple has until July 24 to appeal and to offer its arguments in this respect. The iPad is already an U.S. registered trademark owned by the Cupertino-based company. However, in the past, Apple encountered various problems in China with the Proview Company, which suggested the fact that they own the iPad.