Cinema chain hits back over lawsuit filed by Bay Area tech giant

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A cinema chain that recently opened a location in San Francisco has hit back at a trademark dispute lawsuit levied against it by one of the biggest, richest companies in tech. Apple Cinemas, which opened a location along the Van Ness Corridor at the former AMC Theater last month, responded Monday to a lawsuit filed by Apple Inc.

In the initial lawsuit, the Cupertino-based tech giant accused the theater chain of “knowingly and intentionally using the name Apple to sow confusion for its own benefit.” Apple also claimed its “repeated efforts to resolve the matter amicably” were unsuccessful.

In its response, the theater chain argued that its name was not an attempt to associate itself with the maker of the iPhone and the iPad, but rather a reflection of the company’s first location.

“For over a decade, Apple Cinemas has proudly delivered a best-in-class moviegoing experience to audiences across our growing network of theaters,” the company said in a statement. “Our name reflects our roots, beginning with our first planned location at the Apple Valley Mall in New England — a project that inspired the launch of the Apple Cinemas brand and set the foundation for our expansion.”

The statement went on to say that Apple Cinemas had been “actively working” on a growth plan since it was founded, “collaborating with national retail companies on the acquisition of existing movie theaters.”

As a result, Apple Cinemas said it is now a top 25 movie theater chain and one of the largest IMAX and ScreenX partners.

“We are committed to defending our brand, our history, and our continued right to operate as Apple Cinemas — an identity that is and has always been clearly distinct and fully compliant with all applicable trademark laws,” the company said.

“Apple Cinemas is a long-established theater chain with no connection to Apple Inc.,” the statement continued. “Our name reflects our geographic roots and has never been intended to suggest, or used to imply any affiliation with their brand.”

Apple Cinemas went on to say it had responded reasonably and transparently to all legal communications regarding the matter, in a refute of Apple’s characterization of the dispute.

The majority of Apple Cinema’s locations are in the Northeast. The San Francisco location at 1000 Van Ness Avenue represents the company’s first expansion on the West Coast.