Cisco Gives Apple More Time in iPhone Suit

In a brief statement late Wednesday, Apple and Cisco said they had agreed to extend the time that Apple would have in which to respond to Cisco's lawsuit regarding the iPhone trademark.

"Apple and Cisco have agreed to extend the time for Apple to respond to the lawsuit to allow for discussions between the companies with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability," the statement reads.

Cisco alleges that the iPhone first shown at the Macworld Expo in January is "deceptively and confusingly similar" to its own product of the same name. However, Cisco's phones are VoIP phones, whereas Apple's phone operates over a cellular network.

During its quarterly conference call, Apple's COO Tim Cook dismissed Cisco's claims, saying Apple was "confident we'll prevail" if the company decides to sue.

The iPhone trademark was obtained by Cisco through its acquisition of Infogear, and the application was initially filed in March 1996. Cisco first began using the mark on products in early 2006. It believes that its iPhone and Apple's iPhone are essentially one in the same.

"The potential for convergence of the home phone, cell phone, work phone and PC is limitless, which is why it is so important for us to protect our brand," it said when filing the suit.