I Will Research Trademarks First
Apple has more muscle in the marketplace these days, but that doesn’t mean that they are immune to trademark infringement. I need not remind you of the fiasco behind the iPhone name and how Cisco Systems was on the cusp of filing some rather major legal action against Apple. Steve Jobs thought that he could just get away with it, largely because the whole “greater than thou” mentality that his company seems to have.
The firm needs to tread a little more carefully when it comes to patents and trademarks. They simply cannot go about and flippantly use trademarked terms whenever they please. From what I remember, Cisco approached Apple about the use of “iPhone” before the touchtastic mobile phone was revealed to the public. They had a chance to nip it in the bud and resolve matters amicably. Instead, it became an unnecessary battle of egos. I still remember the battle on Wikipedia over where “iPhone” should lead.
Sometimes, you need to get off your high horse. As cool and hip as Apple products tend to be, the company is not above trademark law. Get your legal department to research things more thoroughly before pissing off all the other companies in the world.
I Will Not Sue Websites
There are countless tech blogs on the ‘net that report on a variety of rumors. We watch carefully as phones pass the FCC process. We look to insiders to see what the next Microsoft Zune will have over its predecessor. Such is also the case with anything Apple-related, but Steve Jobs did not take kindly to Think Secret.
Apple sued the popular website, eventually coming to a confidential settlement that was supposed to be a “positive solution for both sides.” The net result is that Think Secret shut down, but innumerable other Apple fanboy blogs continue to exist and they continue to “leak” company secrets. It’s the nature of the Internet.
Lawsuits don’t make people happy. If you must take some legal action, then go ahead, but don’t take sites like Think Secret away from us.
Wishful Thinking or Nostradamus Accuracy
I realize that some of these new year’s resolutions won’t come to pass. Just like the fat guy who won’t go to the gym three times a week, Apple is probably going to break some of these promises that I’ve made on their behalf. Even so, I remain hopeful. Steve Jobs and the rest of the team in Cupertino continue to experience explosive growth and they show no sign of slowing down.
Many people who were once loyal to Windows-based computers are making the jump. The Apple iPod absolutely dominates the MP3 player market. All too many folks lust after the Apple iPhone. It seems that Apple can seriously do no wrong these days, so these New Years Resolutions could be some rather wishful thinking on my part. Or I might be surprisingly accurate like Nostradamus. Oh wait, didn’t that guy say that 1999 would bring the end of the world? I guess we’ll have to see at MacWorld this year just how many of these will be keepers.
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