In a lawsuit filed a federal court in Massachusetts on August 1, the Apple sued a small theater chain named Apple Cinemas over alleged trademark infringement. Now Apple Cinema has responded.
Apple’s lawsuit
In the complaint Apple had this to say: As part of its aggressive national expansion to 100 theaters, on or about July 10, 2025, Apple Cinemas opened in the historic movie theater location at 1000 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, California. Defendants announced the opening with a media blitz, touted its “high-tech” offerings, and teased another San Francisco Bay Area theater coming soon. Until recently, Apple Cinemas had not operated outside a few suburbs and city outskirts in New England. But now, these two San Francisco Bay Area locations are each less than 50 miles from
Apple’s flagship headquarters in Cupertino, California, and Apple Cinemas is pursuing a nationwide expansion near Apple retail store locations on both coasts.
Already, Defendants’ actions have confused customers and diluted Apple’s brand. The comment sections of articles and social media posts promoting the new Apple Cinemas
opening are full of questions from the public. For example, one user responded to the announcement of the San Francisco location, “Is this another Apple brand?”
Another wondered if the theater showed only Apple TV films—referencing. A third stated, “I certainly assumed THAT Apple was behind the new theater.”
Media coverage of the theater openings on both coasts found it necessary to explain that Apple Cinemas was not affiliated with Apple Inc.
Apple Cinema’s response
Today, Apple Cinemas issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:
For over a decade, Apple Cinemas has proudly delivered a best-in-class moviegoing experience to audiences across our growing network of theaters. Our name reflects our roots, beginning with our first planned location at the Apple Valley Mall in New England—a project that inspired the launch of the Apple Cinemas brand and set the foundation for our expansion. Since its inception, we have been actively working on a growth plan across the country, collaborating with national retail companies on the acquisition of existing movie theaters. Apple Cinemas is now a top 25 movie theater chain in the country and one of the largest IMAX AND ScreenX partners.
We are committed to defending our brand, our history, and our continued right to operate as Apple Cinemas—an identity that is and has always been clearly distinct and fully compliant with all applicable trademark laws.
Apple Cinemas is a long-established independent theater chain with no connection to Apple Inc. Our name reflects our geographic roots and has never been intended to suggest, or used to imply, any affiliation with their brand. Furthermore, claims of consumer confusion are unfounded. Apple Cinema’s branding is clearly differentiated.
We have responded reasonably and transparently to all legal communications regarding this matter and remain focused on growing our business and brand in good faith, as we have for over a decade.
As a company built around welcoming people through our doors and into theaters every day, Apple Cinemas remains committed to providing and revitalizing exceptional in-person entertainment experiences for the communities we serve. We appreciate the continued support of our customers, partners, and neighbors as we focus on doing what we do best—delivering outstanding cinema.
About Apple Cinemas
Apple Cinemas, headquartered in Walpole, Massachusetts, and incorporated in 2010, opened its first theater in 2013 and currently operates 14 locations with 161 screens across seven states (MA, CT, RI, NH, ME, NY, CA). The company has announced that it’s opening two new locations with 20 screens: one location in Greece, New York, and one location in Danville, California. Additional sites and leases are pending.
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