English TV Network ITV Isn't Fond Of Apple TV Rumors

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A few days ago, our man Chris filled you in on some of the latest rumors around the Apple TV getting iOS. Those rumors really are nothing new – but what is new is that they suggest that the box may be named “iTV”, which actually was its name  when first unveiled by Steve Jobs in 2006 as “a work in progress”. But, one company isn’t happy about the rumored name and that’s English network ITV.

Apple is no stranger to leasing names that they like. iPhone and iPad where both owned by other companies. From the outside, it almost looked like Apple named those products first, then made the legal arrangements later. But, for the alleged iTV, things may prove more difficult.

For one thing, the iPhone was a barely known Linksys VoIP phone brand. The iPad was a PDA made by Fujitsu. Both probably not known outside of their respective markets. ITV is different. The English network ITV is Channel 3 in the UK, and was the first commercial TV network to begin operating in the UK after the publicly run BBC. This is not a PDA from Fujitsu.

According to reports from English newspaper The Daily Mirror, ITV executives were furious when they heard the rumors that Apple’s Apple TV would be renamed the iTV.

From the Mirror:

But ITV bosses are furious and meeting with lawyers this week to stop the move in the UK.

The broadcaster, who owns the trademark to the name ITV in Britain, will also weigh up its options on a global ban.

A channel insider said: “You only have to look at recent problems with the iPhone 4 to see not everything Apple produces is gold dust. We all take our ITV brand very seriously and we’ll do everything in our power to protect it.

Yikes. Mentioning Antennagate may be a low blow. At any rate – this doesn’t seem like one copyright that Apple can simply license.

Personally, we don’t know what was wrong with the name Apple TV in the first place. What do you think? Sound off in the comments.