iPhone is in news again!! The battle between Apple and Cisco has taken another turn as Cisco has given some more time to Apple to respond to the claim filed by it in January regarding the trademark. The problem started when Apple launched its highly rumored iPhone but Cisco stated that it had obtained rights to the name iPhone when it had got hold of InfoGear way back in 1996.

This is the second extension which has been granted by Cisco to Apple. Both the companies had earlier come up with a joint statement that they would continue with discussions for the purpose of reaching an agreement on the whole issue. Apple would certainly like to use this trademark since it already owns trademark such as iPod, iMac and iTunes and it would like to add on to that trend.

. It is rightly said that trademarks come along with a use it or lose it mandate. Take for example the trademark Aspirin which achieved a generic status that people started using it interchangeably with pain relievers and even Xerox suffered the same fate when the word photocopy and Xerox was used interchangeably.

This extension hints that both the companies are making an effort towards reaching an out of court settlement. Cisco knows that the trademark iPhone could really impact Apple and it would certainly want to capitalize on that. In case they go for trademark sharing which seem a possibility then both the companies should make an effort that in process the trademark does not lose it esteem which it holds now and people distinguish it clearly from other products.