Cisco Sues Apple, Causes Major Buzzkill
|
Written By Kate Zimmermann | January 11, 2007 | Share This
|
|
Two days after the introduction of Apple’s new drool-worthy iPhone, Cisco had to go and throw a wrench in the whole operation. Apparently, Cisco registered for the trademark “iPhone” in 2000, and has since released products under the same name. In a press release today, Cisco reports that they’ve “filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Apple, Inc., seeking to prevent Apple from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco’s registered iPhone trademark.” Apple, in response, claims that Cisco’s “trademark registration is tenuous at best”, pointing to other VoIP products that are currently using the iPhone name.
Nevertheless, Cisco still has the upper hand as the legal trademark holder - says News.com, “the company in Cisco’s position with clear rights to the trademark has a stronger argument than a company making the family argument.” It seems unlikely that Apple would pick a new name for iPhone, but then again, its difficult to see how they might win against Cisco. Unfortunately, “cool factor” doesn’t hold up in court, so Apple’s best bet is to either fight for the “iFamily” or settle with Cisco.
ZDNet has extensive coverage of the case, with more detail on Apple’s underhanded attempts to obtain the iPhone trademark - including multiple requests, Australian trademarks, and an alleged filing through a front company called Ocean Telecom Services.
Though News.com calls Jobs’ “the height of arrogance” for claiming a trademarked name without paying or negotiating a cent, it seems like most bloggers are too blinded (this one included) by the gorgeousness of Apple’s iPhone to care about semantics. Quite honestly, Apple could call it a freaking Yeti Barf Magnet, as long as it looks and acts like an iPhone, I’d still want one.
Topics: Apple |
Citizen Eco Drive Watch
a native or naturalized member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government