The Beatles lose court battle with Apple

The Beatles have lost a court battle with the Apple Computer company.

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison took legal action against the iTunes download service, with their record label Apple Corps saying that the US giant had gone back on a trademark deal not to enter the music industry.

However, Justice Edward Mann has ruled that Apple Computer used their apple logo in association with its store and not the music, thus not breaching any agreement.

According to BBC News, The Beatles’ record label had wanted to be awarded damages at London’s High Court, as well as getting a ruling stopping its rival using the Apple logo in its music operations.

Founded in 1976, Apple Computer uses an image of an apple with a chunk removed from the side, whereas Apple Corps was set up by The Beatles in 1968 and is known for its' logo of a complete Granny Smith apple.

In 1989, Apple Computer sought a less restrictive trademark as their company began to enter the entertainment industry and after a two-year court battle, the two companies settled an agreement which gave the record label exclusive rights to use the Apple trademark for the record business in 1991.