Follow us on:   

Apple loses brand name in Brazil
February 6, 2013, 11:47 am

[Getty Images]

[Getty Images]

The Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property will prevent Apple Inc from the right to use its iPhone trademark in Brazil, according to reports by Brazilian newspaper Folha Sao Paolo.

The name could be granted to a local company that registered it first.

Gradiente Eletronica SA, a Brazilian electronics maker registered the name in 2000.

The company put out its own smartphone in December 2012.

Brazil is one of the fastest-growing markets for smartphones in the world.

The country’s growing middle class is as diverse as Brazil itself, currently accounting for 52 per cent of the total population of the country, with per capita income ranging from R$ 291.00 to R$ 1,019.00 per month, according to November 2012 figures.

Source: Agencies