[b1daly]

It's hard to believe that Apple could get this through in the US given the amount of live marks with the word STARTUP. Over 50 results!

I have been working on a trademark application that was rejected preliminary basis on the grounds of "likelihood of confusion." (My mark is HOTKEY MATRIX for a hardware controller of audio software, the existing mark is HOT KEYS for "Computer Software program for playback of digital audio by touching computer screen.)

I was a little shocked when I delved into the various rulings how byzantine and nuanced the judgements are. Since the core issue is the potential for likeliness of confusion on the part of a consumer, each case is supposed to be judged on its own.

If your into this kind of thing here's the discussion on the US "Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure."

http://tmep.uspto.gov/RDMS/detail/manual/TMEP/Apr2013/d1e2.x...

I wonder if there is some strategy by which getting registration in other countries helps with getting US registration.