Gradiente, a Brazilian company, has begun selling smartphones with the iPhone brand after winning legal right to use the name. If that wasn’t bad enough, the phone runs on the Android operating system, Apple’s biggest rival.
What a punch to the face to Apple.
Brazilian trademark office spokeswoman Maratan Marques said Gradiente requested permission to use the brand before Apple did and has the right to do so until 2018.
“In Brazil, Gradiente has the exclusive right to use the iPhone brand,” a statement said. “This company will adopt all the measures used by companies around the world to preserve its intellectual property rights.”
The Brazilian iPhone sells for $300 and runs on an older version of Andriod.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter.