Italian Company Calls Itself ‘Steve Jobs’

Chaim Gartenberg, writing for The Verge:

After years of legal battles, a pair of 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, according to la Repubblica Napoli.

The fight began back in in 2012, when the two 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 brand.

I realize Gartenberg is trying to write from a neutral perspective here, but let’s face it, no one thinks they named the company “Steve Jobs” because they thought it would be a “perfect name for their new brand”. They named it “Steve Jobs” because they’re attention-seeking assholes.

Regardless what Italian trademark law says, who but an asshole would do this?

★ Thursday, 28 December 2017