It is logical that when a company creates something it wants protect against plagiarism. As you all know, the "shields" that protect any idea or design are the patents of those concepts. When we patent something we make sure that nobody can use something similar to what is included in the patent in the country where the patent is valid.
Apple has managed to patent two more icons of the many that exist in iOS. The icons that are now protected against plagiarism are from two apps we've been seeing on iOS for a long time, although the patents include the flat design that came to our smartphones with iOS 7.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded the Bitten Apple Company a Patent that makes Siri and App Store icons a trademark for iOS 7 and iOS 8. These two icons join others patented icons in the past, especially in July 2013, a month after the official launch of iOS 7.