iOops, Apple Didn't Actually Get The Rights To The Name iPhone
from the not-so-fast dept
In the weeks leading up to
yesterday's big announcement there was a lot of talk about how Apple couldn't even use the name iPhone because it was a registered trademark of Cisco. Thus, it was as big of a surprise as any that Apple's new converged cellphone/iPod was indeed called the iPhone. The word out of Cisco was that the night before the announcement, they sent Apple the final terms of a license that would
allow Apple to use the name, and that they expected a signed agreement right away. Well, apparently Apple didn't get back to Cisco quickly enough, and now the networking giant is
taking Apple to court, seeking to prevent Apple from using the name. It seems likely that this is a threat to make sure that Apple takes Cisco's demands seriously, and that things will get worked out before the lawsuit goes to trial. Still, it's really astounding that Apple would make such an important announcement without having this matter long squared away.
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Countering stupidity
Is that right? Better sell or else what? Angry emo kids end up on Cisco's doorstep?
"I personally think it would be funny as hell if Apple went and just bought Cisco, took iPhone, and sold Cisco off again, granted I know it wont happen but still that would be funny in my opinion."
It would be especially funny considering that Cisco's market cap is approximately 2x that of Apple. Perhaps Cisco should buy Apple and shut them down instead?
"I dont care if Cisco owns the trademark "iPhone", cisco's iPhone and Apple's iPhone are completely different products."
Except that they're both phones with the same name? Sure, I understand.
"Hey mac fanboy, I'm not one of the wonderful world of winblows, I'm a linux user, and apple is built on darwin, which is linux."
Hey Linux fanboy, Darwin is built on BSD, not linux.
"On another note - anybody know if any research has ever been done into exactly what creates fanboys of any description? I find them amazing and quite funny in all honesty and am just curious"
I'm guessing some degree of obsessive compulsion combined with the need to subvert oneself into a group identity.
******
As to the story, this is really simple. Apple doesn't own the trademark. If Apple wants the trademark, they have to pay for it. Apple's negotiating strentgh went down dramatically once they announced the product without securing the rights. Dumb move.
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