Beatles, Apple Resolve Trademark Dispute

Just weeks away from a court showdown, Apple Inc. and Apple Corps have settled their decades-long trademark dispute, a result which hints at a long-awaited agreement between iTunes and the Fab Four.

Apple Corps, known for its logo of a green apple, was launched in 1968 by the Beatles' four original members to oversee the band's business interests. Apple Inc., originally known as Apple Computers, was founded in 1978 by current CEO Steve Jobs. Jobs, a huge Beatles fan, has acknowledged that he chose the name Apple and its signature graphical logo as a tribute to the band. The appreciation that Jobs received was a trademark infringement suit filed soon after founding by Apple Corps, which was settled when Jobs promised to never enter the music business.

After Apple began integrating more music capabilities into its computers, Apple Corps hit them with another infringement suit, with the result again being a settlement, this time for $26 million, with the deal again being that Apple could only attach its name and logo to its computer endeavors. On the heels of the tremendous popularity of Apple's iPod and iTunes store, Apple Corps filed yet another suit against Apple, but this time the judge ruled against the famed band. Facing an appeal, Apple finally came to a settlement last week with Apple Corps, with Apple gaining ownership of all "Apple" trademarks, and in return agreeing to license certain trademarks back to Apple Corps.

Noticeably absent from Apple's iTunes store is the Beatles' song collection, a collection sure to be worth billions of dollars. At the recent unveiling of Apple's iPhone, Jobs introduced the product with Beatles music and album art, fueling speculation that a settlement was imminent. Apple Corps manager Neil Aspinall also recently confirmed that the Beatles catalog was being remastered for online distribution. Some are going so far as to speculate that there will be a Beatles-themed iPod in the near future.