Two companies, one word. Apple Corps, the company the Beatles set up in 1968, used a green apple on its records. Apple Computer, founded in California in 1976, used an apple with a bite. For three decades they tried to share the name by drawing a line between music and computers — and kept ending up in court every time Apple Computer's products moved closer to music.
The ending is in the USPTO's records: two APPLE registrations that Apple Corps filed in 1995 now list Apple Inc. as their owner.
The Record
| Reg. No. | Mark | Filed / registered | Class | Owners on record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,078,312 | APPLE | Mar. 25, 1977 / Nov. 29, 1977 | 9 | Apple Computer, Inc. → Apple Inc. |
| 2,034,964 | APPLE | June 26, 1995 / Feb. 4, 1997 | 9 | Apple Corps Limited → Apple Inc. |
| 2,036,537 | Apple design | June 26, 1995 / Feb. 11, 1997 | 9 | Apple Corps Limited → Apple Inc. |
All three were registered and renewed at the end of September 2026. Class 9 covers, among other things, sound recordings and electronic devices — so in the mid-1990s both companies held APPLE registrations in the same class.
- 1978–1981 — Apple Corps sues; the dispute settles in 1981 with an agreement dividing the fields the two companies could use the name in.
- 1989–1991 — Apple Corps sues again as Apple's computers gain audio features; a 1991 agreement redraws the line in more detail. The settlement was reported at around $26–27 million; its terms were confidential.
- 2003 — Apple launches the iTunes Music Store; Apple Corps sues a third time in London.
- May 8, 2006 — The High Court (Mr Justice Mann) dismisses the claim.
- February 5, 2007 — A new agreement replaces the 1991 one. Apple Inc. will own the "Apple" trademarks and license some back to Apple Corps.
The 2006 Ruling: A Store Is Not a Record Label
The 1991 agreement gave Apple Computer the computing and data-transmission side and Apple Corps the music and content side, with a clause anticipating that Apple's services might carry content from Apple Corps' field. The question in 2006 was which side of that line the iTunes Music Store fell on.
Mr Justice Mann held that running a data transmission service that delivers music, under Apple Computer's mark, was not by itself a breach — the apple identified the store and its software, not the recordings it sold. "I find no breach of the trademark agreement has been demonstrated," he said. Apple Corps announced it would appeal.
The 2007 Settlement: One Owner
The appeal never needed deciding. On February 5, 2007 the companies announced a new agreement replacing the 1991 one. Under it, Apple Inc. — which had dropped "Computer" from its name weeks earlier — would own all of the "Apple" trademarks and license certain of them back to Apple Corps for its continued use. The lawsuit ended, each side paid its own legal costs, and the financial terms were kept confidential. You may see a large figure quoted for the deal; the companies never published one.
The USPTO record shows the settlement in practice: Apple Corps' 1995 APPLE word and design registrations in Class 9 now list Apple Inc. as owner. On November 16, 2010, Apple, Apple Corps and EMI announced that the Beatles' catalogue was on iTunes.
What This Record Teaches
- Coexistence agreements freeze a boundary; businesses don't stay still. A line between "computers" and "music" drawn in 1981 had to be redrawn in 1991 and was litigated again in 2003. If you sign one, write it around what consumers will see — whose name is on what — rather than around today's product categories.
- The words of the agreement decide the case. In 2006 the outcome turned on what a data transmission service was allowed to carry, not on general fairness.
- The cleanest ending is a single owner with a license back. It turns a recurring dispute into a contract: one company owns the marks, the other keeps the uses it needs.
- Check the owner, not just the applicant. Reg. No. 2,034,964 was filed by Apple Corps. Anyone relying on the original filing would get its owner wrong today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Beatles own the Apple name first?
Apple Corps was set up by the Beatles in 1968, eight years before Apple Computer was founded in 1976 — which is why it could challenge Apple Computer's use of the name.
Who won Apple Corps v Apple Computer?
Apple Computer. On May 8, 2006 the High Court in London held that the iTunes Music Store did not breach the companies' 1991 agreement. The dispute ended with a new agreement on February 5, 2007.
Who owns the Apple trademarks now?
Under the 2007 agreement, Apple Inc. owns the "Apple" trademarks and licenses some back to Apple Corps. USPTO records list Apple Inc. as owner of the APPLE registrations Apple Corps filed in 1995.