Steve jobs calls the kettle “black”
“It’s just common sense not to use another company’s trademarks in your app name.”
Those are the words of Steve Jobs in response to an e-mail from app developer Chris Ostmo whose journalPad app was just forced to undergo an expensive re-branding or risk being pulled from the app store for including the word “Pad” in the title. The problem of course is (aside from the fact that Apple does not actually own a trademark on the word “Pad”) is Apple has done the EXACT SAME THING in the past. In fact, it only recently obtained the legal rights to use the term “iPhone” for its phone from Cisco, and the term “iPad” from Fujitsu. Both companies had products selling under those names at the time that Apple decided to put theirs out, yet they went ahead and used another company’s trademarks in their product name.
One could argue that Apple’s tactics are far worse than those of Ostmo, as no one would confuse his app with an actual iPad, where Apple was stealing other company’s hardware trademarks and slapping them on their hardware. One accidental internet order could make for a very unhappy (although presumably stupid) customer.
Still, as is the way of big business, the big fish eats the little fish, and Apple had the millions of dollars to buy the trademarks out from its fellow tech giants, where odds are Ostmo can’t buy “Pad” from Apple.
Even if it owned it.
Which it doesn’t.
[via 9to5]
Apple Computer…
Apple Records…
Wow. I usually side with Apple on this legal crap, but this is really bad. That’s like me filing a patent on the word “desk” and suing anybody that uses the word.
They are really getting too big for their britches. (I’m still a devoted fan though 🙂 )
I think you’re missing the point. An application named “Pad” for Apple’s iPad is a different matter then two different uses for a trademark that has been amicably resolved.
Would you be okay if I used “Editor” as my commented name?
I’m with Drew on this one. Copying somebodies name and using it for a whole different purpose is different than copying somebodies name and deploying it to the same device. That’s like Company A making a tool called the “HandyTool” and then having Company B come along and build an attachment for it called the “HandyAttachment” – People are going to think the original makers of HandyTool made both pieces.
From a whole different standpoint – why would you want to call your app JournalPad in the first place? I’d reject it just because it sounds bad. (nothing personal chris!)
What’s not mentioned here is did the JournalPad app exist as an iPhone application prior to the release of the iPad? Now that would be a topic for debate…