Apple Accuses Theater in Trademark Suit of Misusing Its Name

Apple Inc. sued a theater chain using its “world famous” trademark which it said is confusing consumers and diluting its brand.

Apple Cinemas, operated by Sand Media Corp Inc. opened a new theater in July in San Francisco within a 50-mile radius of Apple’s headquarters in Silicon Valley according to its complaint filed Aug. 1 in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Before its “aggressive nationwide expansion,” Apple Cinemas only existed in a few suburbs and city outskirts in New England, the complaint said.

Apple said Sand Media’s branding caused confusion among customers, pointing to articles and ...