Apple may not be able to name its rumoured smart watch the iWatch after all.
The company has recently begun filing trademark requests for iWatch around the world, including in Russia and Japan.
However, it has emerged that iWatch is already trademarked in four of Apple’s biggest potential markets – the US, UK, Europe and China.
In the UK, the trademark is owned by Probendi. It uses the trademark for a smartphone application that “sends real-time audio, video and location data to the Critical Governance platform”.
In addition, the trademark is a community mark. This means that it stands across the whole of the European Union.
In the US, the trademark is claimed by smart watch maker OMG Electronics. It planned to release a smart watch, paid for by a fundraising drive on IndieGoGo last autumn. However, it failed to secure enough funding to launch the device.
The trademark in China has been registered by nine companies in the past. Most of them are currently invalid. However, there is an active trademark for iWatching.
Reports have noted this could cause problems for Apple in China where it is currently facing a number of trademark lawsuits over the use of its Siri and Snow Leopard brands.
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