Apple sued over iPhone
Apple's new 'world beating' iPhone has run into trouble just 24 hours after it was unveiled - telecoms technology company Cisco Systems says it owns the name and it will sue Apple.
Cisco trademarked the iPhone name in 2000 and started using it last month for a range of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) handsets.
It had approached Apple with a potential licensing deal but this was rejected, The Independent reported.
Cisco lawyer Mark Chandler told the paper:
"There is no doubt that Apple's new phone is very exciting but they should not be using our trade mark without our permission."
But Apple's Alan Hely told the BBC:
"We think Cisco's trade mark lawsuit is silly. There are already several companies using the name iPhone for Voice over Internet Protocol products."We are the first company ever to use the iPhone name for a cell phone, and if Cisco wants to challenge us on it, we are very confident we will prevail."
