A Japanese software company is suing Apple in a U.S. court over the trademark for the term ‘animoji’, alleging the U.S. technology company stole the name to use on a feature of its iPhone X.
Tokyo-based Emonster kk sued Apple on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, saying it holds the U.S. trademark on the term animoji and that Apple’s use of the word is a ‘textbook case’ of deliberate infringement.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Apple’s new Animoji feature means iPhone X owners will be able to send 3D animated emojis they can control with their face. However, Tokyo-based Emonster kk sued Apple on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, saying it holds the U.S. trademark on the term animoji and that Apple’s use of the word is a ‘textbook case’ of deliberate infringement.
Apple’s animoji feature allow users to animate the facial expressions of emojis using facial recognition technology. It will be included on the iPhone X which is scheduled for release in November.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s chief marketing officer, touted the animoji feature during the iPhone X launch event on Sept. 12, calling it a ‘great experience’ for communicating with family and friends.
In a comical on-stage demonstration, the Apple execs showed how this means users can now talk as the much-loved poop emoji, among the many others.
Emonster chief executive Enrique Bonansea launched an animated texting app in 2014 called Animoji and registered a trademark on the product name, according to the lawsuit.
Apple had full knowledge of Emonster’s app because it is available for download on Apple’s App Store, the lawsuit said.
‘Apple decided to take the name and pretend to the world that ‘Animoji’ was original to Apple,’ Emonster said in the complaint.
Emonster said it is seeking unspecified money damages and a court order blocking Apple from using the term while the lawsuit is pending.
Investors see the iPhone X, which will sell for $999, as an opportunity for Apple to refresh a smartphone lineup that had lagged the competition in new features.
‘If you were wondering what humanity would do when given access to the most advanced facial recognition technology, here it is,’ joked Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, as he demonstrated the technology using the popular poop emoji.
Apple’s new Animoji feature means iPhone X owners will be able to send 3D animated emojis they can control with their face.
According to Apple, the TrueDepth camera captures and analyses over 50 different facial muscle movements.
It will come pre-installed on the iPhone X’s Messenger app, allowing users to record and send Animoji messages that talk with their own voice.
The animated characters will be able to smile, frown, or take on other facial expressions.
According to Apple, the TrueDepth camera captures and analyses over 50 different facial muscle movements. The animated characters will be able to smile, frown, or take on other facial expressions
The iPhone X’s new TrueDepth camera system includes an infrared camera, and other new technology.
Aside from Animoji, its main purpose will be for the Face ID feature.
This will learn your face, so every time you glance at the iPhone, it detects your face – even in the dark.
It works by projecting infrared dots out onto your face, which feeds information back into an AI computer, to create a model of the face and check it against the owner.
‘This happens in real time, and invisibly,’ said Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple.
Animoji relies on the iPhone X’s TrueDepth camera, which can capture facial movements and translate those expressions to the animations
THE $1,000 IPHONE X
– $999 (£999 in the UK) price for 64GB version, and $1,149 (£1,149 in the UK) for the 256GB version
– Pronounced the ‘iPhone 10’
– Comes with 64GB and 256GB models
Pre-orders open October 27, ships November 3
– No home button – swipe up from the bottom to unlock or to go home from an app or to multitask
– ‘Face ID’ that allows users to unlock the phone by looking at it
– Qi and AirPower wireless charging that lets you charge multiple devices at once
Following months of anticipation, Apple has finally unveiled the rumored iPhone X. As rumored, the $999 (£999) ‘anniversary’ device doesn’t have a home button and features a ‘notch’ at the top
– ‘Screen tap’ unlock
– Edge to edge display with glass on both sides of the device
– Super retina display using OLED technology – highest ever pixel density in an iPhone
– Dual 12 megapixel cameras and dual-optical image stabilisation
– Tuned for augmented reality capabilities
– Portrait lighting that uses machine learning to touch up photos
– A11 bionic chips with six cores, can be 70 per cent faster than the previous A10 chip
The built in chip that controls Face ID is built with a neural engine, allowing it to execute 600 billion operations per second.
The iPhone X also has dual 12MP cameras, with dual optical image stabilisation and quad LED true tone flash.
The front camera is a breakthrough for selfies, and can take photos in Portrait Mode with Portrait Lighting.
Schiller said: ‘People will be blown away by the selfies you can take with the iPhone X.’