An attempt by US tech giant Apple to get intellectual property rights over images of fruit is leaving a sour taste for one Swiss association.
The Fruit Union Suisse is a 111-year-old private, nationally active and officially recognised industry organisation.
It works with some 10,500 members "from production and processing" to ensure Swiss fruit is produced seasonally and sustainably.
It also has roles in the areas of marketing, advertising, quality and information - while promoting the image of Swiss fruit.
This last area is causing some contention, as it may be forced to change its logo if the US tech giant succeeds in a legal bid.
The association's logo features a red apple with a white cross on it.
The logo for the Swiss Fruit Association. Picture by: Facebook/Schweizer FrüchteFruit Union Suisse director Jimmy Mariethoz told Wired such images should be free to use.
"It’s not like they’re trying to protect their bitten apple," he said.
"Their objective here is really to own the rights to an actual apple, which, for us, is something that is really almost universal... that should be free for everyone to use".
Mr Mariethoz said any impacts would be felt much further than Switzerland.
"We're concerned that any visual representation of an apple - so anything that's audiovisual or linked to new technologies or to media - could be potentially impacted.
"That would be a very, very big restriction for us," he added.
Apple first applied to the Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property for a trademark - covering certain consumer goods - back in 2017.
However this request was only partially granted, leading Apple to submit an appeal earlier this year.
Apple was contacted for comment at the original time of publication.
