New Trademark Filing Gives Glimpse into Apple’s Plans for Watches

Los Angeles – A string of recent trademark filings by Silicon Valley’s biggest name in technology may shed light on the future direction of the company. Records on file with various Intellectual Property Offices around the globe show that Apple has been steadily adding to its trademark filings by broadening its registrations and applications to include jewelry, clocks and watches.

Several sources have reported that Apple has filed such amendments in countries like the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Mexico and Norway. In each instance, the company has expanded the protection of its “Apple” trademark to reach items contained in International Class 014, which generally is reserved for “Precious metals and their alloys and goods in precious metals or coated therewith” including jewelry, precious stones and chronometric instruments according to the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks, which is set forth by the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”).

The move to expand trademark protection to cover such items is being classified by many as an affirmation of the company’s plan to introduce the much speculated upon iWatch, Apple’s plans are further corroborated by its filing of several trademark applications for the name iWatch in foreign countries such as Russia and Jamaica, which records show were filed as early as last June.

As for the specs of the rumored iWatch itself, multiple Apple bloggers predict that the device will be launched sometime in late 2014. The new product is said to feature a range of technologies that are aimed to more fully integrate more traditional mobile device usage with physiological indications such as a person’s sleep, exercise and activity data. The iWatch is also expected to be fully compatible with other Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad.

Despite Apple’s blatant attempts to keep any definitive answer about the existence of the iWatch under wraps, competition has already ensued. Just this week, rival tech maker LG posted a promotional video on its website debuting its own forthcoming “G Watch,” which looks strikingly similar to renderings of the anticipated iWatch. In addition, Apple’s arch-rival Samsung has already released two models of its “Gear” smart watches, albeit to mixed consumer reviews.