Tibco alleges that Apple's Rendezvous networking software, used in Apple products such as the iTunes music service, infringes on Tibco's Rendezvous name.
Tibco's Rendezvous product allows software applications to share data across networks, but came out before Apple's similar Rendezvous product, Tibco alleges. Tibco trademarked the Rendezvous name in 1994, the Palo Alto, Calif., company said in a statement.
The suit, filed Thursday in the District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Apple infringed on Tibco's trademarks with the intent to harm the company. Tibco said it is seeking unspecified damages for competitive and economic harm caused by Apple.
"Rendezvous has been a Tibco mark for many years and is one of our flagship products," George Ahn, Tibco's chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "For quite some time we have tried to reach an amicable agreement but, given Apple's continual refusal to honor our trademark, we have been forced to take action."
An Apple representative said the company does not comment on pending litigation.
