Cisco extends deadline for iPhone lawsuit

San Jose (CA) - The widely watched lawsuit between Cisco and Apple over the name iPhone, which currently belongs to a trademark owned by Cisco, has been extended, after Cisco said it will continue to discuss possible agreements before going to court, according to news reports.

The name, which Apple desperately wants for its new cell phone, because of the name recognition it has already received, was used by Cisco in the early 2000s for a Voice-over IP (VoIP) phone labeled under the Linksys brand.

The two companies had previous discussions about the name, before Apple unveiled it at the Macworld Expo earlier last month. They did not reach a settlement, but Apple still used the name in the debut of the concept. Cisco then filed suit, citing trademark infringement.

The suit is not seeking monetary compensation. Rather, Cisco is using the opportunity to try to strike an interoperability agreement between it and Apple. So far, Apple has not said anything that would show that it is considering this as an option.