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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 --- 74 days ago http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/daily-brief/2008/05/13/apple-trademarks-the
Apple has been granted a trademark for the shape of the iPod, essentially giving it exclusive rights to make a box with a screen and a wheel:
[T]he design of a portable and handheld digital electronic media device comprised of a rectangular casing displaying circular and rectangular shapes therein arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner . [emphasis added]
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Who decides that last point, we have no idea, but this will mean that Apple is likely to become much more aggressive in going after the knock-off iPod designs out there.
One advantage of a trademark over a patent is that it doesn't expire. However, to keep a trademark, you need to defend it, which means lots of nasty letters to manufacturers. Otherwise, the shape of the iPod could end up like the name "Hoover," which has become a generic word for vacuum cleaner in England.
Ridiculous? Perhaps. But if McDonald's can register "I'm going to McDonald's" and T-Mobile can lay claim to the color pink , then a pretty arrangement of shapes seems almost sensible.
Shape of Things to Come [Wall Street Journal]
by Charlie Sorrel for Wired.com Related Links How Apple Got Everything Right By Doing Everything Wrong Happy Birthday iTunes ... |
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