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I am developing an application and i want to use two words somewhere in my application. First i want to use the word "Safari" in a menu option which labels "Open in Safari"(for a url). The second is the word "Apple" in my Terms pages where i want to use it in the phrase "....as provided by Apple",referring to technologies and API's provided by Apple.

Can i use them and if yes with in which conditions?(adding "TM" or "Copyright" signs maybe?).

Thanks.

Theodoros80
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    Is there a reason you want to specify 'Safari' over 'Browser'? – James Snell Jun 15 '13 at 11:07
  • Well i have an "Open in Chrome" option too. – Theodoros80 Jun 15 '13 at 11:15
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    But why limit it? Are you going to have (and add) "Open in ____" for every browser out there? What if the users preferred browser isn't in your list? – JohnP Jun 15 '13 at 14:53
  • Well,i didn't mention that the app is for iOS,thats why i will offer this option for Safari and Chrome,since they are the most popular out there(plus firefox). My code will detect if Chrome is available and show the option too.If not,then open in Safari only. – Theodoros80 Jun 15 '13 at 15:34
  • I use android, and I'm not 100% sure it's the same on iOS, but isn't there a way to get the default browser and tell it to open in that? Seems like it would both alleviate the requirement of specifying specific names, and be a more general solution for all users. – KChaloux Jun 17 '13 at 13:15

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On the page where you speak about Apple® and Safari®, you need to use the appropriate TM, SM, or ® symbol the first time the term apears, plus the following type of statement, usually in the footnotes (assumes distribution outside the US):

Apple and Safari are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

By googling "apple trademark" I was able to find a list of Apple Trademarks and from there, Guidlines for Using Apple Trademarks. Just about every company has similar web pages. You always need to look them up to see whether product names are trademarked or registered (or serial-marked). Also there are guidelines about how and how not to use these words in sentences, how to use logos, and the relative size and typeface of Apple trademarks compared to the rest of the packaging of your product.

As @JamesSnell asked, why wouldn't you make your program launch the default browser of the current operating system? Why limit yourself to Sarari and Chrome, presumably only on a Mac?

It is interesting to note that Trademarks (inc. serial marks and registered trademarks) are one of three groups of unrelated (in the US) legal protections colloquially referred to as "Intellectual Property." The other two are Copyrights and Patents.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor a spokesperson for Apple. These statements are not legal advice, but my personal "best guess" at how to use Apple trademarks. Please read the linked documents and use your own best judgement about how to apply Apple's rules in this and other situations. Better yet, hire a licensed lawyer to advise you.

GlenPeterson
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