In America and the majority of the world, there is only one brand that uses the name “iPhone”. In Brazil, there were two until a judge ruled in favor of Apple today.
A judge in Brazil on Wednesday said Apple can legally use the iPhone name following a court ruling. After an exhaustive battle brought against Apple by Brazil’s IGB Electronica, which wanted exclusive rights to the name for an Android phone it didn’t launch until last year, the judge ruled in Apple’s favor due in large part to the iPhone’s “world renowned” reputation.
According to reports, the judge said giving exclusive rights to the Brazilian company wouldn’t be fair to Apple because of the work the Cupertino company has put into developing iPhone mindshare over the years. While Apple is likely pleased with the outcome, the judge did say the two can share the iPhone name in Brazil, which will certainly annoy executives on both sides.