The original negotiation deadline over the use of the iPhone name came and went, and now the extended deadline that Apple and Cisco agreed to is at hand. The deadline moved from February 15 to February 21, but so far there is no word on the status of the negotiations.

Both companies are working to resolve issues over the use of the iPhone trademark that Cisco has owned since 2000 when it purchased Infogear. The iPod maker was in talks with Cisco over the use of the name prior to Macworld Expo, but broke off the talks shortly before the keynote address where Steve Jobs introduced Apple's iPhone, a combination iPod/cell phone/Internet device, during Macworld Expo 2007 in January.

Cisco has since filed a lawsuit against Apple for using the iPhone trademark without authorization. After the case was filed, both companies returned to the negotiation table in an effort to work out a deal in lieu of going to court. Representatives from Cisco claim the company is willing to strike a deal with Apple.

"All we ask is that people respect our trademarks and our intellectual property," said Cisco CEO John Chambers. "We would have traded that for just interoperability."

Cisco's lawsuit may be more of a posturing move to show that the company is willing to protect its intellectual property and trademarks. In a highly unusual move, Cisco's VP and General Counsel, Mark Chandler, publicly blogged about the pending case to say that it wasn't about the licensing or the money.

Typically, lawyers and company executives keep quite about pending litigation to avoid potentially damaging their cases before going to court. Mr. Chandler's public comments may be an indication that Cisco is willing to continue negotiating to keep the iPhone trademark case out of court.

Should the two companies fail to come to an agreement today, the case could potentially go before a judge later this year. That, however, is not as likely as another extended deadline.