Mixed Signals
Any sufficiently advanced information is indistinguishable from noise
Wednesday 10 January 2007, 11:35 PM
iPhone war breaks out - Cisco sues Apple
This just in: Cisco IS suing Apple over unauthorised use of the iPhone trademark.
""Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco's iPhone name," Mark Chandler, senior vice president and general counsel at Cisco, said in a statement. "There is no doubt that Apple's new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission."
Cisco is seeking injunctive relief to prevent Apple from copying Cisco's iPhone trademark, the company said."
Perhaps the lawyers were all too busy trying to keep Steve's nose clean over the options backdating business - which, despite Apple's internal inquiry saying there's nothing to worry about, is still something to worry about. Apple's internal board don't get to make the decision whether to take the matter further: that's up to the Feds, who have yet to break cover.
In other signs that the iPhone's launch may have been perhaps just that wee bit premature, Intel has first confirmed then denied that it was supplying the silicon inside the iPhone. "Did we say the phone? Sorry, we meant the telly", Intel Germany said. Which is good, as it gives me a chance to beat Mike Magee to starting the "It's an AMD Geode!" rumour.
This isn't the first time Apple's had trademark trauma. Apart from the whole Apple vs Apple business -- and did Apple Inc have permission to use that Sgt Pepper cover during the keynote? -- the company had to rapidly rename Rendezvous as OpenTalk in 2004.
Quick update: check out the PDF of Cisco's court filing. Astonishing tales of shell companies set up to file odd trademark registration requests from Trinidad and Tobago - and nothing that quite ties in with Cisco's statement yesterday that the agreement was all in place bar the final paperwork. Guns have been jumped and wrists are being slapped, but it's all getting a bit Austin Powers now...
PreviousComments on this post
Looks like Cisco is "re-thinking" their agreement with Apple.
Apparently yesterday's iPhone announcement caused such
a huge splash, Apple's stock rose solidly, that Cisco now wants
more money to honor their agreement with Apple.
The word is Apple and Cisco had an agreement yesterday morning
over Apple's use of the iPhone term.
Apparently, the iPhone announcement drove Apple's stock up far enough that now Cisco wants a new deal for more money.
Apple better fires it's lawyers on this ridiculously stupid mistake.
I dunno, Diggymiggy - at some point before the launch, somebody had to make a go/no go decision on whether to take the risk on the back of an unsigned deal. I can't see that as being anything other than Job's responsibility.
Cisco may be many things, but it's quite staid and grown-up when it comes to managing its public persona and locking down deals before it talks about them. So what it's doing saying one thing one day - the deal's just about done - and then another the next - we never had a deal, and Apple's been playing Spy vs Spy - is utterly beyond me.
I guess it's that reality distortion field running out of control.
