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Apple v Apple: Round 3

by , 7:50 AM EST, March 27th, 2006

Apple Corps and Apple Computer are set to go to court this week in a legal battle over a licensing dispute involving the Apple name. The dispute stems from a claim by Apple Corps, the music distributer that represents the Beatles, that Apple Computer is violating an agreement that prohibits the iPod maker from moving into the music industry.

According to the New York Times, Apple Corps is looking to stop Apple Computer from using the Apple trademark to sell music online. Apple Computer contends that the agreement prohibits it from selling music tapes and CDs, but not online data transfers.

The iTunes Music Store is at the heart of this battle. Apple Corps claims that the iPod and Mac maker's online music distribution system should be included in the earlier settlement, even though it is not explicitly mentioned.

Apple Corps originally sued Apple Computer in 1989 after technological advances made it easier to use the Mac as a music player. It sued a second time in 1991 and won a US$26.5 million settlement and a stipulation that limited the Mac to editing and playing music, but not creating it. In April 2003, Apple Corps filed its current suit after the iTunes Music Store was introduced.

The outcome of this lawsuit isn't clear, but it's more likely that large amounts of money will be passed around, and the iTunes Music Store will continue to operate. It's not likely, however, that we'll see any Beatles recordings available for download through iTunes any time soon.

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject: #1 reason to split iPod/iTunes from Apple
View Name:Guest
Subject: Why add Beatles to iTunes?
Close Name:Tiger Posts: 945 Joined: 17 Jun 2003
Subject: Apple, buy Apple

Apple (computer) should just pony up the small amount of cash to buy out this desperate dinosaur of a company and be done with it. And fire all their sorry butts to boot once bought. The Beatles are SOOOOOOOOOO over.

Paul McCartney may still have a stylish solo career, but Ringo Starr is nothing more than a iconic oddity who makes guest appearances in movies and sometimes small TV parts. As a music force, NOBODY UNDER 30 knows who he is. And the target market for music these days ISN'T the over 30 market.

This is just making the lawyers rich. Be done with it.

View Name:Guest
Subject: when billionaires fight
View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject: Dear Apple Corpse
View Name:Guest
Subject: The Beatles missed their chance
View Name:Guest
Subject: The Beatles broke up DECADES ago
Close Name:Biff Posts: 1479 Joined: 08 Apr 2004
Subject:

Quote
Guest wrote:
Both sides of apple v apple are richer than god.

I believe the 1st suit was filed in 1980 and not 1989. The 2nd suit was filed in 1989 and settled in 1990.

Point is Jobs didn'd do his business homework and used a name that the beattles had established almost 8 years before.

Jobs and Wozniak don't win awards for being brilliant designers. They are brilliant thieves. They stole the idea of the PC from Xerox, who was to stupid to understand what they had in 1972. They stole the name Apple from The Beatles (keep in mind at a time when The Beatles were still very big.)

Then they refined the MP3 business coming in later to support the music industry by offering individual songs for a $1 each when they were previously being sold for $0.00. Bringing back the industry business model of selling about 10-12 songs for $12-$15 bucks.

The masses too stupid or feeling to guilty for all the free downloads, accepted Jobs at face value, bit off on the concept that a billionaire mogul of 26 years in the industry can still be an underdog, and started shelling over their money too them.

Compare that to The Beatles long know for sucking money out of their fans under the guise of peace, love & maybe freedom, also billionaires in their own right.

And what do you have Goliath v Goliath.

At the core of this thing is who owns right to the trademark the Apple. Now is that stupid or what? Fighting over the rights to the image of a fruit that has been in existence longer than humans?
Go get em', tiger!

View Name:Guest
Subject: How stupid are some people
View Name:Guest
Subject: iPod is fine. iTMS is not
Close Name:Dean Lewis Posts: 156 Joined: 29 Sep 2001
Subject:

How Apple got the Mac OS GUI
http://www.mackido.com/Interface/ui_history.html

(with assorted comments about Microsoft innovation pertinent at the time this article was written)

View Name:Guest
Subject: The Beatles
Close Name:Freeze Posts: 1 Joined: 27 Mar 2006
Subject: Ah...

Imagine the Beatles stopped suing Apple..
it's isn't hard to do...
nothing to settle or fight for..
no more lawsuits too..

Imagine all the people..
buying tunes in peace...

Close Name:Al Swearengen Posts: 339 Joined: 10 May 2005
Subject: Can't we

Quote
Freeze wrote:
Imagine the Beatles stopped suing Apple..
it's isn't hard to do...
nothing to settle or fight for..
no more lawsuits too..

Imagine all the people..
buying tunes in peace...


Hey great lyrics

I am not too much of Beatles fan, but I can't believe that these two parties haven't reached a settlement "Yesterday". I mean couldn't they "Come Together... right now?" Who is their lawyer, "Mean Mr. Mustard? The way this thing is going I will probably see it settled "When I am 64.""

Can't we just "Let it Be"

View Name:Guest
Subject: Apple vs Apple
View Name:Guest
Subject: Some Corrections...
Close Name:macslut Posts: 60 Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Subject: It's important to note that if Apple bought Apple...

It's important to note that if Apple bought Apple, they would not gain the rights to the Beatles catalog. All they would gain is the rights to a few other bands and the right to use the name Apple in peace.

View Name:Guest
Subject: Apple doesn't own the Beatles songs...
View Name:Guest
Subject: Fruit History lesson
View Name:Guest
Subject: IMHO Apple Corps does own the recordings
View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject:
View Name:Guest
Subject: G. F. CLAW
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