Intel said that though Apple filed for the original trademark, the Mac maker is currently in the process of transferring the rights to chipmaker Intel, according to Bright Side of News. The report also noted that Apple “will continue to have unrestricted use of the technology.” “As part of our collaboration with Apple, they did some of the initial trademark filings,” Intel Senior Communications Manager Dave Salvator reportedly said. “Intel has full rights to the Thunderbolt trademark now and into the future. The Thunderbolt name will be used going forward on all platforms, irrespective of operating system.”
Sony
The news comes as PC maker Sony has revealed plans to adopt Thunderbolt technology, but with a standard USB connector instead of the DisplayPort connector utilized by Apple. The report noted that it’s likely that Sony’s utilization could be rebranded, much as its version of FireWire became dubbed i.LINK.
Light Peak
Intel had always laid claim to the development of the technology, initially codenamed Light Peak, which is able to transfer data between host devices and external devices at speeds of up to 10Gbps (gigabits per second) in both directions. However, no claims to the trademark by Intel could be found in the files of the US and Canadian trademark offices, suggesting that Thunderbolt could have been Apple’s exclusive name for the technology, with any other brand planning to use it requiring a different name.
Intellectual Property
But Intel has since insisted that Thunderbolt is its intellectual property, not Apple’s. An Intel spokesman told the Bright Side of News website: “As part of our collaboration with Apple, they did some of the initial trademark filings. Intel has full rights to the Thunderbolt trademark now and into the future. The Thunderbolt name will be used going forward on all platforms, irrespective of operating system.”
