Chinese clothing label sues Apple for copyright infringement

BEIJING - A Chinese clothing company is suing Apple for copyright infringement of the Apple App Store logo, a court in Beijing said Tuesday.

Clothing label KON claim the Apple App Store logo closely resembles its own, which the company has been using as a merchandise trademark since 2011, and registered in 2012, according to the Dongcheng District People's Court in Beijing, which has accepted the lawsuit.

KON is demanding compensation of 100,000 yuan ($15,200), an injunction against infringing devices such as iPhones and iPads, as well as a public apology.

Both logos feature a triangular stick design. Apple replaced the old logo, consisting of a pencil, ruler and brush, with the current one on its iOS and MacOS devices this year.

Kon said that the two logos look practically the same to the untrained eye of an ordinary customer.

Launched in 2009, KON is a Beijing-based clothing label that targets young customers. The company said the logo design was inspired by singer Johnny Rotten of the British punk band The Sex Pistols.