Apple can no longer continue selling iPhone-branded products in Mexico, as of a Thursday ruling by courts in Mexico City.

The court ruled against an injunction by Apple requesting that a Mexican company with the registered name iFone cease using their brand, in order to avoid possible confusion among customers. The Mexican company had registered its brand in 2003, four years before Apple's registration for the iPhone brand name in the country, El Universal reports.

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Apple initially filed the injunction in 2009.

The Mexican court used the earlier trade name registration as a basis for denying Apple's request. iFone, a telecommunications company, later countersued for damages, meaning the Mexican company could have rights to 40% of Apple's iPhone sales revenue in the country.

Mexican smartphone carriers Telcel and Movistar (the top two mobile carriers in the country) were scheduled to begin selling the iPhone 5 today, but there is no report as to how quickly the court ruling's sales ban will go into effect.

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Mashable composite: Images courtesy of Apple, istockphoto.