Apple Inc AAPL has filed a lawsuit against a “Healthy Lifestyle Superhero” movie titled “Apple-Man," seeking to halt its distribution over concerns that viewers might associate the production with itself.
What Happened: The action-comedy film — backed by a Kickstarter campaign that has raised EUR 101,717 ($114,187) — says it is a Superhero flick with a “strong social mission.”
“My movie is about apples, the fruits,” the film’s creator — Ukrainian director Vasyl Moskalenko — told iPhone in Canada.
Moskalenko said his movie has already been approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). He said the Tim Cook-led company is seeking to have the trademark registration application denied, according to the iPhone in Canada report.
Moskalenko wrote a “letter to Santa” in a YouTube video asking for “something from Apple” but what he gets instead is a voluminous lawsuit.
See Also: How To Buy Apple (AAPL) Shares
Why It Matters: “My film has nothing to do with Apple corporation,” Moskalenko said in the video. “I have never mentioned anything about Macbooks, iPhones, iPads, and so on.”
“If my registration would be denied, there are no guarantees that Apple wouldn't demand to delete my film after its release,” said Moskalenko, according to iPhone in Canada.
Moskalenko said that it was “trademark bullying” by the Cupertino, California-based tech giant.
In 2021, Apple dropped a lawsuit it filed against Prepear — the previous year for having a Pear-inspired logo, reported 9to5 Mac. Prepear is a spin-off of the Super Healthy kids service that offers healthy recipes through a mobile app.
Price Action: On Monday, Apple shares closed 2.6% higher at $174.78 in the regular session and fell 0.2% in the after-hours trading.
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