[crazygringo]

No, trademarks are genuinely important because they allow consumers to distinguish between official things that an organization stands behind, versus hobbyist projects, imitators, etc.

But all the creator had to do was to remove logos and possibly change the name so there would be no confusion around whether this was an official project or not.

And it seems like the geographic map was fine, only the schematic map would have been an issue because its design is presumably specifically copyrighted and yes you would have to license that just like any other map.

The letters he received may have been heavy-handed but there's nothing wrong with the general principle of it.

[anigbrowl]

The point is that trademark holders could start by reaching out and asking nicely instead of being assholes about it.

[lexicality]

To be fair, they did start by reaching out and asking nicely. They just immediately escalated.

[mr_toad]

The TfL trademarks are all over Apple Maps. The map itself would be covered by copyright, not trademark.

It would seem that nobody bothered to run the notice past a lawyer.

[Mindwipe]

Apple applied to use them via the official TFL scheme for doing so, in advance, and is likely paying for them.