Apple, Cisco Near Deal Over iPhone Name

In a joint announcement Thursday (Feb. 1) the companies said they have extended the time for Apple to respond to Cisco's lawsuit. Cisco uses the brand for a range of VoIP phones it has been selling for over a year, and which the network equipment company claims to have owned since 2000.

When Cisco filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court of North California last month, Mark Chandler, senior vice president and general counsel of Cisco, said the company had been negotiating with Apple "in good faith" after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use the name.

"There is no doubt that Apple's new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission," he said.

Apple's initial response was that Cisco's stance was "silly".