NEW DELHI: Apple's application to trademark the name 'Touch ID' for its fingerprint scanning technology has been rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The patent office has denied Apple's application on the grounds that the trademark for the name 'Touch ID' has been granted to Kronos, a US-based company that makes workforce management software.
Granting Apple the patent for Touch ID may create confusion among potential users, USPTO has said. Like Apple, Kronos's Touch ID technology is also related to fingerprint recognition.
The trademark was given to Kronos in 2001, while Apple's application was submitted in January this year only.
The letter of rejection was sent to Apple in May this year, but made public only now, according to technology website Patently Apple.
The iPhone maker has six months to respond to the letter and provide an alternative. If Apple fails to do so, its application will be considered abandoned by the US patent office and the company will have to rename the feature.
Apple is expected to bring the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which is the highlighting feature of iPhone 5S, to its iPad range this October when it launches the next-generation tablets.
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