io vs. iyO: The way your company sounds really does matter
It doesn't matter how you spell it—homophones can get you sued for trademark infringement.
The startup iyO has filed suit for trademark infringement against former Apple designer Jony Ive's company io—which spells its name differently but sounds the same. OpenAI acquired Ive's io last month for $6.5 billion with the goal of creating a new family of AI devices; iyO, which launched as an independent company from Google's moonshot initiative X in 2021, makes an AI device of its own.
The company describes its iyO One, an AI wearable worn like an earbud that's available only as a preorder, as 'the world's first audio computer.' It reportedly pitched to Sam Altman's investment fund and Ive's design studio in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Following a ruling from U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson, OpenAI erased any mention of its deal with Ive over io on its website Sunday, including a promotional video. The company told The Guardian it took action because of iyO's legal complaint, which will be addressed in a hearing come October.
OpenAI has reason to take iyO's claims seriously. 'Trademark infringement has been found in plenty of cases in which defendant's mark is spelled differently from plaintiff's but pronounced the same, even when the two terms have different meanings,' Alexandra Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University tells Fast Company. 'The key question in infringement cases is likelihood of confusion.'
The singer Pink filed suit last year over Pharrell Williams's proposed P.Inc trademark, for example, and infringement has been found in cases like Seycos and Seiko, both watchmakers, and X-Seed and XCEED, which both made agricultural seed.
'Courts assessing the likelihood of confusion between two marks consider a number of factors, including the similarity of the marks, relatedness of the goods and services, strength of the plaintiff's mark, and sophistication of the relevant consumers,' Roberts says. 'Similarity weighs toward a likelihood of confusion, and lack of similarity weighs against it.'
The I/O naming convention, which stands for Input/Output, is popular with AI companies since their products generate AI output from user input. For iyO, blocking OpenAI from using the io name is about protecting its brand against the combined power of the maker of ChatGPT and a designer who's worked with Apple on products like the iPhone and iPad. The outcome of the legal dispute could play a role in naming whatever the AI giant and design legend end up creating together.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
5 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Fed's Powell: Full Statement to House Financial Services
CC-Transcript 00:00The Federal Reserve remains squarely focused on achieving our dual mandate goals of maximum employment and stable prices for the benefit of the American people. Despite elevated uncertainty, the economy is in a solid position. The unemployment rate remains low and the labor market is at or near maximum employment. Inflation has come down a great deal but has been running somewhat above our 2% longer run objective. We are attentive to the risks on both sides of our dual mandate. I will review the current economic situation before turning to monetary policy. Incoming data suggests that the economy remains solid. Following growth of 2.5% last year, GDP was reported to have edged down in the first quarter, reflecting swings in net exports that were driven by businesses bringing in imports ahead of potential tariffs. This unusual swing has complicated GDP measurement. Private domestic final purchases, or PDP, which excludes net exports, inventory investment and government spending, grew at a solid 2.5% rate. Within PDP growth of consumer spending moderated while investment in equipment and intangibles rebounded from weakness in the fourth quarter. Surveys of households and businesses, however, report a decline in sentiment sentiment in recent months and elevated uncertainty about the economic outlook largely reflecting trade policy concerns. It remains to be seen how these developments might affect future spending and investment. In the labor market, conditions have remained solid. Payroll job gains averaged moderate to 124,000 per month in the first five months of the year. The unemployment rate at 4.2% in May remains low and has stayed in a narrow range for the past year. Wage growth has continued to moderate while still outpacing inflation. Overall, a wide set of indicators suggests that conditions in the labor market are broadly in balance and consistent with maximum employment. The labor market is not a source of significant inflationary pressures. The strong labor market. Conditions in recent years have helped narrow longstanding disparities in employment and earnings across demographic groups. Inflation has eased significantly from its highs in mid 2022, but remains somewhat elevated relative to our 2% longer run goal. Estimates based on the Consumer Price Index and other data indicate that total personal consumption expenses, expenditures or PCE prices rose 2.3% over the 12 months ending in May, and that excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core PC prices rose 2.6%. Near-term measures of inflation expectations have moved up over recent months, as reflected in both market and survey based measures. Respondents to surveys of consumers, businesses and professional forecasters point to tariffs as a driving factor beyond the next year or so. However, most measures of longer term expectations remain consistent with our 2% inflation goal. Our monetary policy actions are guided by our dual mandate to promote maximum employment and stable prices for the American people. With the labor market at or near maximum employment and inflation remaining somewhat elevated. The Federal Open Market Committee has maintained the target range for the federal funds rate at four and a quarter to four and a half percent since the beginning of the year. We've also continued to reduce our holdings of treasury and agency mortgage backed securities. And beginning in April, further slowed the pace of this decline to facilitate a smooth transition to ample reserve balances. We will continue to determine the appropriate stance of monetary policy based on the incoming data, the evolving outlook and the balance of risks. Policy changes continue to evolve and their effects on the economy remain uncertain. The effects of tariffs will depend, among other things, on their ultimate level expectations of that level, and thus of the related economic effects reached a peak in April and have since declined. Even so, increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up price prices and weigh on economic activity. The effects on inflation could be short lived, reflecting a one time shift in the price level. It's also possible that the inflationary effects could instead be more persistent. Avoiding that would depend on the size of the tariff effects on how long it takes for them to pass through fully into prices and ultimately on keeping longer run. Longer term inflation expectations well anchored. Our obligation is to keep longer term inflation expectations well anchored and to prevent a one time increase in the price level from becoming an ongoing inflation problem. As we act to meet that obligation, we will balance our maximum employment and price stability mandates. Keeping in mind that without price stability, we cannot achieve the long periods of strong labour market conditions that benefit all Americans. For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance. To conclude, we understand that our actions affect communities, families and businesses across the country. Everything we do is in service to our public mission. We at the Fed will do everything we can to achieve our maximum employment and price stability goals. Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
Business Wire
9 minutes ago
- Business Wire
ISC Names Stephen Hanson as Chief Architect
CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--California-based Integrated Specialty Coverages (ISC), a leading, multi-line program administrator that builds end-to-end insurance products utilizing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) engineering, data analytics, and predictive modeling, has hired Stephen Hanson as Chief Architect to lead the company's enterprise-level technology strategy, marking a significant step in the organization's continued evolution as a data-driven insurance platform. 'We're building for scale, and that means aligning our growing family of platforms under a unified, forward-looking architecture,' said ISC CEO and Founder Matt Grossberg. 'Stephen brings the technical depth and leadership experience needed to drive that vision forward. His understanding of configurable systems, integration scalability, and cross-platform cohesion will be critical as we continue to expand.' In his new role, Stephen will oversee long-term technology initiatives across ISC's portfolio, including OMGA (OnlineMGA), Event Helper, and Abacus Entertainment, among others. His mandate includes creating architectural consistency across platforms, building scalable solutions for program onboarding, and forming ISC's first formal Architecture Council to facilitate collaborative decision-making among stakeholders. 'One of my top priorities is enabling single sign-on functionality across all ISC applications,' said Hanson. 'It's the kind of cross-functional challenge that touches every platform and illustrates the need for unified architectural leadership. I'm also excited to accelerate development of configurable workflow tools that allow ISC to onboard new programs more efficiently without custom development every time.' What drew him to ISC, Stephen said, was both the technical challenge and the people at the organization. 'From the moment I met the leadership team, I was impressed by their vision and the opportunity to forge innovation in the insurance space,' he said. 'ISC is uniquely positioned to bring together a diverse portfolio of insurance platforms through modern, flexible technology,' said Stephen. I'm excited to join a company that's building for scale, enabling speed through modular tools, and aligning technology decisions with real business growth.' As ISC continues to scale its capabilities across multiple insurance verticals, Stephen's appointment reflects the company's commitment to delivering seamless, high-performance solutions to its broker and carrier partners, as well as consumers nationwide. Stephen brings nearly two decades of experience in software architecture and cross-functional platform development. Before joining ISC in May 2025, he served as Principal Software Architect at Classy (now GoFundMe Pro), a leading fundraising platform for nonprofits. Stephen led a team of application architects supporting a 200-person product and engineering team and was responsible for overseeing key platform-wide initiatives, including identity management and architecture planning. Earlier in his career, he advanced through roles as Senior Software Engineer, Technical Lead, and Application Architect across several startups and enterprise software environments. Stephen holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. About Integrated Specialty Coverages Integrated Specialty Coverages (ISC) is a leading, multi-line program administrator dedicated to underwriting excellence, client service, and customer experience. ISC has built an end-to-end insurance platform by connecting a broad network of insurance markets and distribution channels with proprietary data analytics capabilities. The firm uses sophisticated technology and analytics to revolutionize how complex programs are underwritten and operated. They are joined by experienced professionals from all spheres of the insurance ecosystem. ISC's strategy is focused on a combination of strategic M&A, data-driven decision making, as well as an innovative means of delivery. ISC provides its partners with high-quality service, competitive commission, and creative product delivery options to help expand their footprint in any desired line or class of business. Please visit:
Gizmodo
10 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
We Need a Clamshell iPhone Now That Android Has Figured Out Foldables
Foldables are far more brittle than traditional phones, and that's a problem when you're spending between $1,800 and $2,000 on a single device. Finally, in 2025, the flip-out, tablet-style, foldable phone may get the remodel it needed to stick it out with cheaper devices. New leaks suggest the next Google Pixel foldable will be able to better survive a mote of dust. Samsung's next Z Fold 7 'Ultra' may have similar staying power when we finally get to see it on July 9. Another leak for the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, published by Android Headlines, suggests Google's next book-style foldable will be more resistant to dust and debris. If accurate, Google's phone would be the first with an IP68 rating, meaning it's resistant to dust and can survive being submerged in water up to three feet for 30 minutes. Rumors suggest Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 may achieve a similar level of durability, though we'll see it much sooner than Google's device, which Android Headlines said is slated for an August 20 debut. Additionally, the sequel to the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold may sport a smaller hinge, according to current and past leaks. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold could have a 6.4-inch cover display compared to 6.3 inches on last year's model. The next Samsung foldable could be thinner and contain an off-center hole-punch internal camera, according to earlier renders published by Android Headlines and frequent rumormonger OnLeaks. Whether Google and Samsung have done any work to limit the size of the crease caused by the folding mechanism is another matter entirely. The crease is one of the most glaring pain points of using a foldable device, especially when you're trying to read content in bright light or scroll lengthwise across the screen. The leak suggests Google has tried to alleviate one of the most concerning things about foldables—the thinner internal screen can be damaged when just a little bit of dust gets trapped between the layers. Current Samsung foldables like the Z Fold 6 are rated IP48, which means they are protected against some dust, but dirt will still cause wear. U.S. brands have notably lagged behind the innovations coming out of China from the likes of Oppo and Huawei, but nobody has yet achieved a higher rating for dust resistance. Oppo currently boasts the slimmest book-style foldable with the Find N5, measuring 8.83mm, or 0.34 inches, when closed up. You probably haven't seen it in action since you can't buy it in the U.S. Oppo's sister company, OnePlus, has effectively quashed any hope that it would launch a sequel to one of Gizmodo's favorite foldables of the past two years, the OnePlus Open. Huawei currently has the world's only commercial tri-fold phone, which—again—is not available to buy directly in America. Samsung is reportedly working on a new 'G Fold' that fans out into a larger tablet, but it probably won't be around for 2025. Durability is one of the big factors why foldables haven't carved as big of a niche in the smartphone market dominated by candy bar-style devices. The other major factor is price. None of these new rumors suggest these devices will be any more affordable. We'll have to see if Samsung can release some kind of FE—aka 'fan edition'—version of its Z Flip to compete with the latest $700 Motorola Razr. Meanwhile, we're still waiting for any real sign Apple will launch its own foldable iPhone. Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last week that we may finally see its debut in 2026, which is the same suggested timeline as other recent rumors. Apple being late to the game may work to its benefit, at least if it can make a device that folds as thin as a typical, non-'Air' iPhone and has an internal display that lacks any sign of a crease. We still need to see it to believe it.
