Oooh look - Apple being scumbags again!

[ivo215]

Funny you should mention Ma Bell. In the 40's and 50's Ma Bell took a bunch of companies for using "Bell" in their names or using an image of a Bell if it was used in a certian way. Gibson Sued Fender over the "Broadcaster" name. Fender has gotten court actions against companies mis-applying some of their protected names and abbreviations. Big companies sue all the time for copyright infringement. I still don't see whay evry one is opposed to Apple protecting what it feels is infringement.

 

I thought it was Gretsch that sewed Fender, because they had a broadcaster drumkit. Hence the no-caster.

I heard Gibson sewed ESP because their Eclipse was too Les Paul-like, hence the altered Eclipse II.

Stuff like this goes on all the time, also in other branches.

[tommythelurker]

If companies want to protect their trademarks, maybe they should come up with one that's a little more creative than a single common word from the english language

[LoopQuantum]

I'm gonna get slayed for this but I agree with Apple. Anytime you hear anything "_____Pod" the first thing to come to mind is Apple. Line 6 gets a pass because the word pod is used first. I know it may sound silly but Apple has spent a fortune branding their product and branding is extremely important especially at the level that a company like Apple is at. Anything that remotely causes any confusion should be forced to change it. If someone was to say to you "there is a new Video Pod projector coming out" (that is what it's called) you would first think/assume it was an Apple product they were talking about until you got further details. That is a business no no. Besides, Sector Labs has to know that and they are just trying to capitalize on the association, IMO. Flame suit on....

Correct answer.

[Repner]

This is almost as bad as Monster Cables

[HKSblade1]

If companies want to protect their trademarks, maybe they should come up with one that's a little more creative than a single common word from the english language

Exactly!! This is not a suit about a design or other product issue like the Gibson or Fender suits. This is a lawsuit about a WORD!

So does this mean only Apple can use the letter "i" in front of another word? When does the company own a WORD like POD or the letter "i". WTF!

They use iPOD and iPAD and iPhone. If they trademarked that as its own thing then that is different.

[Ripfence]

Exactly!! This is not a suit about a design or other product issue like the Gibson or Fender suits. This is a lawsuit about a WORD! So does this mean only Apple can use the letter "i" in front of another word? When does the company own a WORD like POD or the letter "i". WTF! They use iPOD and iPAD and iPhone. If they trademarked that as its own thing then that is different.

 

 

It always seemed like a ripoff from I, Robot to me. I'd like see Issac Asimov's estate sue apple just to see what would happen.

[the_bleeding]

I thought it was Gretsch that sewed Fender, because they had a broadcaster drumkit. Hence the no-caster. I heard Gibson sewed ESP because their Eclipse was too Les Paul-like, hence the altered Eclipse II. Stuff like this goes on all the time, also in other branches.

 

 

sued?

 

And the fender broadcaster was the name of a telecaster before it was the telecaster. They were releasing a new guitar body design and wanted it to appeal to the new technology of the age - television - so they named it the broadcaster as if it were made for television. They got sued, changed the name to a telecaster. And now we have the name we have today. So if you ever see an old ass tele with the word "broadcaster" on it, buy it and resell it for 50k.

[Ripfence]

sued? And the fender broadcaster was the name of a telecaster before it was the telecaster. They were releasing a new guitar body design and wanted it to appeal to the new technology of the age - television - so they named it the broadcaster as if it were made for television. They got sued, changed the name to a telecaster. And now we have the name we have today. So if you ever see an old ass tele with the word "broadcaster" on it, buy it and resell it for 50k.

 

 

Wasn't it called the Esquire before it was called the Broadcaster or was that a different guitar?

[telephant]

Wasn't it called the Esquire before it was called the Broadcaster or was that a different guitar?

Esquire is Tele without a neck pickup. Not only has thread brought me much joy by bringing out the Apple haters and making them look like whiney bitches, but it has also made me realize whether its the history of Fender guitars, or trademarking a brand name, you guys know {censored} all about nothing. Awesome.

[Ripfence]

Esquire is Tele without a neck pickup. Not only has thread brought me much joy by bringing out the Apple haters and making them look like whiney bitches, but it has also made me realize whether its the history of Fender guitars, or trademarking a brand name, you guys know {censored} all about nothing. Awesome.

I know that I don't understand this phrase: you guys know {censored} all about nothing.

[THEE HAMMER]

Lolololol at hksblade

[RUExp?]

Perhaps it is you who doesn't understand copyright law. iPod if it is protected at all is protected as a registered trademark not a copyright. Seriously though, I knew what you meant. Even if they stand to loose if they do not pursue such cases then it might make it easier to loose their trademarks in the future. Secondly, these cases might make other companies think long and hard (heh... I said "hard") about using "POD" in any fashion. It might be a dick thing to do but it is the corporate way.

You mean lose?

[PaoloJM]

Correct answer.

I would normally agree, however this is a three letter word in common use in the English language to describe a variety of things, and has been used by other companies to describe or brand their products before Apple used it.
IMO (and I'm not an expert in any regard) iPod is trade-markable, even the use of i to preceed and product could be, pod is not.

[Seattle Doug]

note to self: cancel JetPod project.

[Zozobra]

Their claim that it could confuse people into thinking it was an apple product would be true only if:

- it had a massive {censored}ing apple with a bite taken out of it slap bang in the middle, preferably glowing

- it comes in a range of gaudy colours and any colour that wont give you retinal cancer costs more

- apple think all of their customers are stone cold {censored}ing idiots

[Travisaurus Rex]

I would normally agree, however this is a three letter word in common use in the English language to describe a variety of things, and has been used by other companies to describe or brand their products before Apple used it. IMO (and I'm not an expert in any regard) iPod is trade-markable, even the use of i to preceed and product could be, pod is not.

 

 

Yes but the fact that they used it in the context of "______pod" is what makes it the problem. Besides, OJ is a term that has been used to refer to orange juice but the genius Gene Simmons found out that it was not trademarked or copyrighted to he did. Now he owns the term OJ and has to be paid if anyone uses it even though it was a commonly used phrase that he did not create.

[bish0p34]

Yes but the fact that they used it in the context of "______pod" is what makes it the problem. Besides, OJ is a term that has been used to refer to orange juice but the genius Gene Simmons found out that it was not trademarked or copyrighted to he did. Now he owns the term OJ and has to be paid if anyone uses it even though it was a commonly used phrase that he did not create.

 

 

http://www.genesimmons.com/fanstories/letters13/index1129.html

 

He even says it's not true.

[tommythelurker]

Their claim that it could confuse people into thinking it was an apple product would be true only if: - it had a massive {censored}ing apple with a bite taken out of it slap bang in the middle, preferably glowing - it comes in a range of gaudy colours and any colour that wont give you retinal cancer costs more - apple think all of their customers are stone cold {censored}ing idiots

Well, you might have to give apple that last one





Kidding, I even have friends that are apple users

[satannica]

Apple are acting just as foul as Microsoft did in the early 90s.

Apple are a monstrous corporation. The fact that they pretend to be your friend whilst they're pissing in your face just adds deceitfulness.

[dicky sofa]

advertising = fail

branding = fail

companies can sue whoever they want and it only = fail

 

It's 2010 and time everyone commit to heart the 95 theses of the cluetrain manifesto...

 

companies succeed because of honest interactions with customers, not branding, not advertising, not slick websites and any other form of hucksterism...

[TruSlice]

note to self: forward JetProd project .

Fixed for legality and lulz

[tommythelurker]

It always seemed like a ripoff from I, Robot to me. I'd like see Issac Asimov's estate sue apple just to see what would happen.

 

 

http://irobot.com/

[Just A Box]

I'm gonna get slayed for this but I agree with Apple. Anytime you hear anything "_____Pod" the first thing to come to mind is Apple. Line 6 gets a pass because the word pod is used first. I know it may sound silly but Apple has spent a fortune branding their product and branding is extremely important especially at the level that a company like Apple is at. Anything that remotely causes any confusion should be forced to change it. If someone was to say to you "there is a new Video Pod projector coming out" (that is what it's called) you would first think/assume it was an Apple product they were talking about until you got further details. That is a business no no. Besides, Sector Labs has to know that and they are just trying to capitalize on the association, IMO. Flame suit on....

 

 

I am so with you.....

 

It's totally sleazy, and for lack of a less-rhymy term, cheezy when anybody other than Apple puts Pod or "i" before or after anything, hoping to somehow glom on to Apples repeated homerun success in the portable entertainment market by somehow fooling the majority of consumers out there into believing that they're buying an Apple or Apple related product.

 

Hate to break it to you, but if not for the iPod's unequaled success, none of this would be much of an issue. But, the fact is, they do make the best mp3 player out there by a long shot.

 

I hate their software, with incessant updates, loss of entire libraries of content, forced bundling of other programs and all.

[Just A Box]

advertising = fail branding = fail companies can sue whoever they want and it only = fail It's 2010 and time everyone commit to heart the 95 theses of the cluetrain manifesto... companies succeed because of honest interactions with customers, not branding, not advertising, not slick websites and any other form of hucksterism...

 

 

Like it or not, without what you refer to as hucksterism, companies would not only fail, but become extinct

[Pizza Combo]

{censored} that apple in goatse's rotten ass