Apple has filed a claim with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to take control of the web domain iphone5.com. The domain hosts discussion on the iPhone 5 and was launched in October 2010 right after the launch of iPhone 4.
"Apple's pursuit of the iPhone5.com domain is interesting given how slow the company has been to take action to secure domains related to its previous products. Apple didn't gain control of iPhone4.com until nearly a year after that device launched and Apple didn't seek to gain control of iPhone4S.com until several weeks after that device debuted last October," writes MacRumors.
The case filed by Apple with WIPO is under the case number D2012-0951 and is noted as active. The iphone5.com domain is just a small forum with a few posts discussing solely on the iPhone 5.
It is interesting that Apple is trying to gain control of the domain ahead of its launch which is likely to happen during the World Wide Developers Conference in June or in October. With Apple not yet revealing the possible name of the new iPhone yet, rumors of the iPhone to be called iPhone 5 has been on for quite sometime now. However, seeing the nature of iPad's new name, there are also possibilities of Apple calling the next iPhone simply "new iPhone."
"With the release of the third-generation iPad in March, Apple chose to eschew its traditional numbering scheme, simply introducing the device as the 'new iPad' rather than 'iPad 3.' That has led some to speculate that Apple could simply call its next iPhone the 'new iPhone'," writes AppleInsider.
In the past, Apple has also won claims over applesales.com, appleproductsonline.com, appleipods.com, ipods.com and ac. Acquired domain names like iPhone4.com and WhiteiPhone.com for a certain undisclosed amount paying for the domain names in mid July 2011 as reported in Fusible.
Apple's next gen iPhone will look to maintain its dominance in the smartphone market against its rival Samsung. The two companies own roughly 90% of the smartphone market as the rivalry heats up with Samsung's new Galaxy S3 release.
The new iPhone will look to entice users with rumored features such as a switch from LCD to OLED display, Lag-free multi-touch screen, crack resistant glass, LTE connectivity, Near-Field Communication technology, liquid metal casing, and enhanced digital distribution on iTunes.
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