A little over a week ago, we reported that Apple had been denied the rights to the iPad mini trademark on the basis that “mini” was merely descriptive, rather than a definitive sort of name. However as luck would have it, the USPTO who had initially refused Apple’s claim to the trademark, has reversed their decision and stated that they are now allowing Apple to retain the iPad mini trademark, although there is a condition attached. The condition states that Apple now needs to place a disclaimer to the trademark application in which it states that Apple does not have the exclusive rights to the name, “Mini”.
Basically this allows Apple to protect the term “mini” when used together with the iPad, but it also means that other companies are allowed to use the “mini” term when paired with their own products. Some examples come to mind, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, and the rumored Galaxy S4 Mini. This is a good move as we can only imagine how the legal battle between Apple and Samsung could escalate if both sides started suing each other over the “mini” moniker.