Brazilian 'iPhone' Trademark Lawsuit Ends With Apple and IGB 'Close To Settlement'

gradiente_iphoneForbes reports that Apple and Brazilian company IGB have agreed to end their lawsuit over the iPhone trademark in Brazil, and are close to reaching a settlement agreement.

According to Brazil’s largest daily, Folha de São Paulo, both companies have agreed to end the lawsuit over iPhone and come to some sort of “pacific agreement,” the paper reported on Saturday. Apple has paid millions for its exclusive use of the word iPhone in the past and will likely pay IGB as well.

IGB had applied for the "iPhone" trademarke in Brazil in 2000, years before Apple's phone was launched, and was granted the trademark in 2008.

Apple challenged the trademark on the basis that IGB had failed to use the trademark until it was close to expiration, but the Brazilian Industrial Property Institute ruled in IGB's favor after it launched a low-cost Android smartphone using the iPhone brand late last year. Apple took the matter to court, but has now withdrawn the legal action after IGB suggested that it was open to selling the trademark.

Apple's current use of the "iPhone" name in Brazil is not currently being hampered while the dispute plays out, with the company being allowed to continue selling the iPhone under its popular name and Apple retaining control over the iPhone name for other categories of use such as software.

Apple is expected to make a cash settlement for exclusive rights over the name in Brazil. It previously settled a dispute over the iPad trademark in China for $60 million, but there is no word yet on a settlement amount for the Brazilian case.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...

Top Rated Comments

0815 Avatar
166 months ago
Apple should just close their factories in any country trying to blackmail them. Face it , it is "Blackmail" we're talking about. Everyone in the world knows that "iPxxxxx" is synonymous with the Apple Brand...

What? Apple didn't do their homework, they didn't research where that name is already used and failed to acquire the rights to use that name from the rightful owners. I don't think many people in 2000 were expecting Apple to come out with an iPhone ... It iPhone might be synonymous today with Apple, not back than.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thehustleman Avatar
166 months ago
Well they had the trademark before apple.....
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
winston1236 Avatar
166 months ago
Translation: Apple opened the door to their enormous vault at Gringotts and turned back to IGB and said "So, how do you want to resolve this?".

They should charge apple 30% of all iphone sales.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macs4nw Avatar
166 months ago
they were simply lucky to have copyrighted that name

Exactly. They had it first, and after 2007 they realized the value of that little 'i'. Who can blame them.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oletros Avatar
166 months ago
Apple should just close their factories in any country trying to blackmail them.

And it is a good thing that Apple is not ruled by people like those saying: leave UK, leave Brazil, leave anywhere were courts have not agreed with us

Face it , it is "Blackmail" we're talking about. Everyone in the world knows that "iPxxxxx" is synonymous with the Apple Brand...

In 2.000? Highly doubtful
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Oletros Avatar
166 months ago
..and Apple should give them the finger and challenge them to prove in court that the trademark "infringement" is damaging enough to warrant such a claim.

You know that Apple lost the trial, don´t you?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)