Logo's

[ImLostAgain]

I'm not an, erm, aficionado of Ann Summers, so I was quite surprised to hear that their logo is identical to that of the Apple company. Is this possible? I always thought that a logo was sacrosanct, or have I got this wrong?

[wolf63]

They are slightly different

https://postimg.cc/image/kto4mr03r/

[snags]

Who came first?

[davegosling]

Yes, they're different enough logos not to get the lawyers twitching.

[Mamyalynne]

Presumably neither are bothered enough to be lining Lawyers pockets over the matter.

http://macdailynews.com/2008/09/15/apple_logo_similar_to_that_of_britains_biggest_sex_shop_chain/

[davegosling]

"Who came first?"

fnarr!

Oh, I see what you mean. Ann Summers about a decade earlier than Apple.

[Mamyalynne]

Behave.

[davegosling]

Oh come on! I didn't even mention the apostrophe once... ;-)

[snags]

;-p

[Mamyalynne]

Sigh...

[Buenchico]

Compare and contrast:
https://d337mqk8vr3mvq.cloudfront.net/uploads/media/logo_retailer/0001/06/thumb_5984_logo_retailer_1x.png
&
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/1/15/Apple-logo.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170702160841

Logos can be registered as trade marks
https://www.gov.uk/how-to-register-a-trade-mark/what-you-can-and-cant-register
but if someone hasn't already registered a logo as a trade mark then anyone else is free to use it (unless they're deliberately 'passing off' their own product or service as being one from the other user of the mark).

Perhaps whichever of the two companies used the logo first never bothered to register it as a trade mark. Alternatively either
(a) the Intellectual Property Office (and similar bodies across the world) don't see the two logos as sufficiently similar to prevent them being separately registered ; or
(b) the two companies are happy for the logos to co-exist anyway (because there's not much likelihood of their products being mixed up).

Further, logos are registered as trade marks within 'image classes'. Once a logo has been registered within, say, the 'clothing' class it can't be registered or used by any other company for clothing. However a different company could register the same (or a very similar) logo as their trade mark for, say, tractor parts.

Click through the 'Next' links here to view some remarkably similar logos:
http://whatculture.com/offbeat/10-massive-companies-unbelievably-similar-logos

[snags]

Is that a contented sigh or one of unfulfilled expectation?

[Mamyalynne]

Guess

[snags]

Just a reminder: 'You could ask serious questions here, but don't expect serious answers'

[Mamyalynne]

That's me done, have had a pint of Auto Trader and off to bed - not with an Apple.x

[ImLostAgain]

Ok. Thanks all. They still look the same to me though. Thanks for the laughs. Sometimes(!) your strange ;-).

[davegosling]

"your strange"

My strange?

[Zacs-Master]

One big difference. The Ane Summers one always appears with the words ‘Anne Summers’. The Apple one almost never appears with the word ‘Apple’.

[ummmm]

What time is it there Zacs?

[Zacs-Master]

Ha! Morning ummmm. 9am. Breakfast is calling. ;-)

[ummmm]

Nice...I haven't packed yet. :-) I'm gonna have a fun morning. Yay me, I never learn.