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Apple files for 'iWatch' trademark in Russia -- report

Speculation on the launch of an Apple watch takes off after a Russian newspaper reports the company has filed for a trademark on "iWatch."

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
A mockup showing what an Apple iWatch might look like. Sarah Tew and Christopher MacManus/CNET

Apple has filed for a trademark on the "iWatch" brand in Russia, a new report out of that country claims.

Russian newspaper Izvestia reported on Wednesday that Apple filed for the trademark with the country's patent and trademark office, Rospatent. Not surprisingly, the news has sparked more speculation on when Apple's long-rumored iWatch might finally launch.

For its part, Apple has not confirmed that it'll launch a wearable watch. However, a slew of reports over the last several months have suggested that the company is indeed working on such a device, and it will be known as "iWatch." That Apple might have filed for a trademark on the name is making some believe that the launch is all the more likely.

However, it's worth noting that Apple, like just about every other major company, files for trademarks on brands all the time to protect itself in the event it launches a product that would use that name. It's also important to point out that brands are sometimes registered for trademark years before the products they're associated with actually launch.

In other words, Apple's trademark application could mean that the iWatch is around the corner, or it might just mean nothing.

(Via 9to5Mac)