Apple is no longer the sole legal owner of the “iPhone” name in Brazil. This is because the company IGB Electronics SA now has the right to sell devices with the “iPhone” name in the country, even if they run Android.
If you go back a couple of months, to December 2012, you might remember the announcement by IGB Electronics that they planned to release a series of Android devices starting with the iPhone Neo One.
The basis on which they moved to do this is that after a restructuring of the company they discovered that they had the exclusive rights in Brazil to register products with the name IPHONE since 2000.
Apple, of course, doesn't accept it and is ready to pursue it in court, but the case will probably end with some payment. Previously, IGB had said that it was open to the idea of Apple buying the rights to the name from it, so if the Cupertino company runs out of options, and it doesn't manage to win anything in court, it will probably end up paying IGB.
Dimitrios Georgoulas @ GreekAppleNews
