By Juliana Schincariol
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's copyright
regulator will strip Apple Inc of the right to use its iPhone
trademark in Latin America's biggest market and granted the
trademark to a local company that registered it first, a source
familiar with the decision said on Tuesday.
Gradiente Eletronica SA, a Brazilian consumer electronics
maker, registered the "iphone" name in 2000, seven years before
Apple launched its now virally popular smartphone.
The Brazilian Institute of Intellectual Property will
officially announce its decision on Feb 13, the source said.
Apple could then challenge the ruling in the Brazilian
courts.
A spokesperson with Apple in Brazil declined to comment.
With a swelling middle class anxious to go online, Brazil is
one of the fastest-growing markets for smartphones in the world.
IGB Eletronica SA, a company formed after the restructuring
of Gradiente, launched its "iphone" line of smartphones last
December.
The Android cellphone is marketed for 599 reais ($302) and
comes both in black and white, as does Apple's.
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