Apple sues Apple Cinemas over copyright infringement

Apple has filed a lawsuit against the Apple Cinemas movie theater chain, accusing it of misusing its trademark, which the company says is misleading customers, Reuters reports.

One of the company's arguments is that Apple Cinemas opened a new theater in San Francisco less than an hour's drive from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, which could give consumers the wrong impression that the two structures are related. Apple also noted that due to the opening of new theaters, the media had to separately explain that Apple Cinemas has no relationship with Apple Corporation.

"Consumers should not go to an Apple Cinemas movie theater thinking it is associated with the famous Apple brand, with all its reputation and capital, when Apple Cinemas has nothing to do with Apple," Apple said.

The lawsuit includes examples of social media posts where users are curious about possible connections between the movie theaters and Apple. The company also noted that Apple Cinemas continues to operate despite previous letters from Apple demanding it cease use of the name, as well as an unsuccessful petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Apple also claims that Apple Cinemas is using the name to secure lucrative leases by positioning its locations as an alternative to Apple Stores in shopping malls. The tech company is concerned that this positioning is affecting its brand, especially given the theaters' plans to aggressively expand across the U.S.: the lawsuit says that Apple Cinemas plans to open 100 more theaters over the next 10 years.

Apple has initiated a lawsuit demanding that the cinema chain be banned from using the Apple trade name and receive monetary compensation, the amount of which the company has not yet specified. Representatives of Apple Cinemas have not yet commented on the situation.