UK TV network warned Apple not to use ‘iTV’ for television

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYzVB0d3uFY]

Update: ITV has apparently denied The Telegraph’s claims that ITV CEO Adam Crozier wrote to Apple. In a statement to The Verge, ITV said, “The Telegraph’s piece is entirely speculative, and there has been no communication between ITV and Apple. ITV has no further comment on the matter.”

With recent reports from The Globe and Mail referring to Apple’s yet-to-be unveiled HDTV generally known as the “iTV,” and other reports from Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek that suggested Apple could  go with the name for its product, many are quick to point out Apple might have licensing issues with one of Britain’s largest commercial broadcasters, ITV. The 50–year-old and up UK-based TV network has challenged Apple’s potential use of the moniker in the past. According to reports from The Telegraph, ITV has apparently written to Apple to warn the company not to use the name for its upcoming smart television product:

ITV has written to Apple to warn the Silicon Valley technology giant off using its three-letter name for its long-awaited, “iTV” smart television.

The report claimed Chief Executive of ITV Adam Crozier spoke with Apple in 2010 about the possibility Apple might use the name “when it eventually cracked television.” The meeting apparently resulted in ITV receiving promises that Apple would not use the name, or at the very least in the United Kingdom.

When Steve Jobs originally announced Apple’s TV project, it was tentatively called iTV. However, when the product was eventually released, it was dubbed AppleTV— assumedly over the naming issues.

Here is the full iTV presentation with poorly synced audio.

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