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Apple ruthlessly targets small business with 'similar' logo design

In a move that seems to signal Apple's intention to own the rights to the entire fruit bowl, the tech giant has begun legal proceedings against a small business for its logo design. So what's the logo? A pear. (Yes, you read that right.)

Prepear is a meal planning app, with a logo in the form of the green outline of a pear, tilted to the right. Apple says the logo is too similar to its own iconic bitten apple (voted one of our best logos ever), and that the logo design will "cause dilution of the distinctiveness" of the Apple logo.

Dear Instagram Friends- I NEED YOUR HELP! I know there are a lot of heavy things going on in the world right now, and this is nothing in comparison, but I need your help in a situation that is affecting me, my family, and my coworkers. Please help! Many of you know that I started a business called Prepear almost 5 years ago. It is an app that you can store all your recipes in one place, plan your meals, make grocery lists, and get your groceries delivered all in one place. Recently @apple yes, The trillion dollar Apple, has decided to oppose and go after our small business' trademark saying our pear logo is too close to their apple logo and supposedly hurts their brand? This is a big blow to us at Prepear. To fight this it will cost tens of thousands of dollars. The CRAZY thing is that Apple has done this to dozens of other other small business fruit logo companies, and many have chosen to abandon their logo, or close doors. While the rest of the world is going out of their way to help small businesses during this pandemic, Apple has chosen to go after our small business. I'm not trying to get anyone to stop using or buying Apple products. I feel a moral obligation to take a stand against Apple's aggressive legal action against small businesses and fight for the right to keep our logo. We are defending ourselves against Apple not only to keep our logo, but to send a message to big tech companies that bullying small businesses has consequences. HOW YOU CAN HELP: 1 Sign the petition (link in my bio or in my stories) 2 Share that same link on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. http://chng.it/QPd2mRYW #savethepearfromapple Healthy Kids Recipes•Routines

A photo posted by @superhealthykids on Aug 7, 2020 at 12:56pm PDT

Super Healthy Kids (Prepear's parent company) highlighted its situation on Instagram, also sharing a petition (which currently has almost 30,000 signatures supporting its cause). The company says it "feel[s] a moral obligation to take a stand against Apple's aggressive legal action against small businesses and fight for the right to keep our logo."

So what's the problem? Well, according to Apple's filing, the "Applicant's Mark consists of a minimalistic fruit design with a right-angled leaf, which readily calls to mind Apple's famous Apple Logo and creates a similar commercial impression."

But there are clear differences there, too. For example, the pear's leaf is attached and pointing downwards, whereas the apple's leaf is tilted diagonally upwards. The entire pear is also tilted, whereas Apple's design is straight. The apple is filled in with colour, the pear is transparent in the middle. Plus, of course, the pear doesn't have a bite taken out of it. And, you know, it's a pear.

Prepear Apple logo

Apple says this pear is too similar to its apple design (Image credit: Prepear/Apple via change.org)

Apple also believes that the app is "within Apple's natural zone of expansion for Apple's Apple Marks". So, because Apple thinks the app is within an area it might expand into in the future, it could be a source of confusion within the sector if it decides to do so.

Whether or not that is all true, the central fact remains the same: the design is a pear. It's hard to imagine anyone really thinking that Apple had decided to use the icon of an entirely different fruit for one of its products, even if it has made some ludicrous moves lately.

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Georgia Coggan is a regular freelance contributor for Creative Bloq, who has also worked on T3 and Top Ten Reviews. With a particular interest in branding and retro design, Georgia writes about everything from logo design to creative technology, enjoys hunting down genuinely good deals and has even used her knowledge as an ex-teacher to create buying guides on products including children's books and bookcases. Tying these design interests together is an obsession with London Underground posters from the last century.