After years of legal battles, brothers Vincenzo and Giacomo Barbato have successfully managed to win a legal battle against Apple, earning the right to call their company “Steve Jobs” after Apple’s iconic founder. The fight began back in 2012, when the brothers noticed that Apple had never trademarked Jobs’ name. The pair were already in the process of starting their own clothing and accessory company, after spending years creating products for other brands, and decided that Steve Jobs would be the perfect name for their new company. As one might expect, Apple immediately filed a motion against the brothers with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. However, the tech giant lost by attacking the brothers specifically over their Steve jobs logo — a stylized letter “J” with a bite taken out of the side and topped with a very Apple-esque leaf. The court ruled that the letter “J” isn’t edible and, therefore, the bite could not be ripping off Apple’s own iconic logo. With the ruling, the brothers’ trademark was upheld. The pair currently sell bags, t-shirts, jeans, and other fashion accessories under the Steve Jobs brand. They hope to eventually release electronics, so we may someday see a Steve Jobs phone competing in stores right next to Jobs’ own iPhone.
