Apple’s legal battles with Samsung have been well documented, but there has been another piece of litigation running in the background for the past four years that has been less well publicised.

Mobile web firm Wapple has revealed this morning that the UK Intellectual Property Office has ruled in its favour, against opposition from Apple, to allow the company to keep the Wapple trademark. Since 2007, Apple has challenged Wapple’s trademark application of 2006, claiming that the company was trading off its brand and name, and that it led to confusion between the two brands.

The name Wapple, derived from the acronym WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), was created by founders Rich Holdsworth and Anne Thomas in 2003. Thomas says: “We are overjoyed with the result, and incredibly proud. The case is a victory for truth over tactics. Self-belief is always critical when establishing and growing any technology business, and even more so when you are early to market, as we were. The action taken by Apple to oppose our trademark has tested our resolve and we are delighted with this outcome.”