Apple Computers Now Owns Beatles’ Apple Logo
The Granny Smith apple that has served as the logo for the Beatles' record label is now the property of the Apple computer company. Yesterday (Oct. 25), Patently Apple discovered that the last remaining challenge to the logo's ownership had been cleared and it now belonged to the computer giant.
The news officially ends years of court battles between the Beatles and Apple over the use of the logo. In 2007 the two parties settled their dispute, which resulted in Apple purchasing all of the Beatles' trademarks related to "Apple," and licensing them back to the group. A company called Apple Box Productions Sub Inc. had opposed Apple's ownership of the logo.
"We love the Beatles," Apple founder Steve Jobs said following the settlement. "And it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future." Jobs died last year following a long bout with pancreatic cancer.
Three years after the dispute was settled, the Beatles' music became available on iTunes to significant hype.