Apple's request to use the iPhone name in Brazil has been rejected by regulators who ruled in favour of a local competitor.
IGB Eletronica SA, the Brazilian electronics maker that applied to register the name in 2000 and won the rights to use it in 2008, continues to hold the trademark.
IGB started selling its own iPhone model in December.
The institute responsible for granting trademarks, known as Inpi, issued the decision on its website today, seven years after Apple submitted its request.
Apple can use the iPhone name for other products, including clothing and pamphlets, Marcelo Chimento, a spokesman for Inpi, said in an interview earlier this month.
IGB could not be reached for comment. Apple didn't immediately respond to a message.
Bloomberg