During Apple's WWDC 2018 keynote, Craig Federighi, SVP Software, introduced a new dimension to Siri. According to Apple, "Siri can now intelligently pair your daily routines with third-party apps to suggest convenient shortcuts right when you need them. So if you typically pick up a coffee on the way to work, Siri will learn your routine and suggest when to place your order from the Lock screen. You can also run shortcuts with your voice or create your own with the new Shortcuts app.

It's common to expect the likes of Samsung or Chinese smartphone vendors to annually copy … steal … Apple iPhone trends and new software feature be it the "notch" on iPhone X or AR emoji from Animoji to dual cameras for Face ID to Augmented Reality.

Now out of the blue, a UK startup with a logo with similar colors to Apple's new 'Shortcuts' apps has decided to scream blue-murder and claim that Apple stole their little known trademark and demands that Apple pay them $200,000 for the infringement. The Shortcuts app icon is shown below besides the Shift Logo.

True the colors are close but from there, it's not really understood how anyone on the planet could see these two as identical images. Apple's image uniquely blends two icon blocks over each other forming an "S." It's very subtle.

The Shift logo on the other hand looks like two arrows going in opposite directions. If they want me to see an "S" in their logo, I simply can't see it. I doubt that anyone can see the resemblance.

I couldn't stop laughing when I read the Shift spokesperson and 'legal representative' stating: "It's mind-blowing that Apple, the firm with the biggest cash pile in history, the firm that is so design oriented, had to copy our logo.

Our client has spent and continues to spend substantial time and effort in advertising, and promoting its mark as the source of its downloadable application. Customers have come to recognize and associate the Shift trademark as the source of our client's product. As a result, the Shift trademark has become an asset of susbtantial value and a symbol of our client's goodwill."

The start-up has "not received a response" from Apple yet – although the letter was allegedly only sent today.

The spokesperson further stated that they were "hopeful" about receiving payment "since Apple is such a do-right-by-the-community brand. We are not necessarily trying to go after Apple. They can keep the logo if they reimburse us for a new one." How nice of them.

Yet why would they want another logo after stating that their "Customers have come to recognize and associate the Shift trademark as the source of our client's product." Won't their clients be lost if they changed their logo? Sarcasm aside, I rather doubt that Apple will be responding to their ransom note.

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