SAN FRANCISCO — Cisco to Apple: We need to talk.

A day after Apple Inc. baptized its eagerly anticipated cell phone with the marketing slogan "we need to talk," Cisco Systems Inc. filed a trademark lawsuit yesterday, pointing out that it has owned the iPhone name since 2000.

Up until Monday night, the two companies had been negotiating over the name. Cisco, which acquired the name when it bought another company, was willing to "share," Cisco spokeswoman Terry Anderson said.

Apple, apparently, was not.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple built a consumer electronics empire on the lower-case "i" — iMac, iPod, iTunes — and has long coveted San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco's iPhone. Nevertheless, Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris called Cisco's lawsuit "silly."

Cisco acquired the name iPhone when it bought Infogear, which had owned the trademark since 1996. Linksys, a division of Cisco, began shipping iPhone products a year ago.

Over the past several years, Apple has approached Cisco about the name iPhone, according to Cisco. Anderson said Cisco was not looking for money but was seeking collaboration with Apple to ensure Apple's phone will work with Cisco's networking gear.