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back to article Apple staff call Taiwanese filmmaker an 'idiot'

A Taiwanese writer and director who flew to Hong Kong to confront Apple in person over a long-running copyright infringement saga says he was branded an "idiot" by staff and escorted off the premises by police. Giddens Ko, who wrote and directed the hit Chinese language movie You Are the Apple of My Eye, revealed his encounter …

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    My brain hurts now

    If I understand this correctly, Apple has placed an app of sorts on their iStore. A man is complaining that the stuff is HIS IP, but Apple won't remove it because is can not determine if the man is the IP owner.

    It therefor follows that Apple can not determine if the person or persons that placed the content in the store are the IP owners either.

    So Apple has put stuff in their store but they can not determine where it came from, and refuses to remove it for this very same reason.

    Is it me or do they have it ass bakwards ? Does this now mean I can use any of Apples IP as long as I don't know it's their IP ? For instance, as long as I don't know Apple owns a patent for rectangular slab with rounded corners I can sell as many as I want, Ignorance is now an acceptable defene ?

    And I'm not even trying to take the piss here. I'm dumbfounded.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: My brain hurts now

      Not quite

      He wrote books

      The publisher put the books on an app

      Apple assumed the publishers had the rights to the book

      He went to offices where Apple said he needed to put complaint into writing

      He did while in the office and was called idiot

      This was filmed.

      Apps finally withdrawn.

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  3. Old Handle

    Did he forget the magic word?

    No, not "please", "DMCA". I suspect this was just a matter of not using the right legalese. As I understand it, if he sent a properly formated a DMCA notice they would be required to assume it's valid unless the other party came forward to defend against it. Admittedly I'm not sure how all this works in Taiwan, but Apple is a US company and copyright is international, so I can't think of any reason he couldn't use American law to his advantage.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Re: Did he forget the magic word?

      This is in Hong Kong. DMCA does not apply (contrary to the views of some US judges).

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      1. Anonymous Dutch Coward
        Reply Icon
        Pint

        Re: Did he forget the magic word?

        Exactly! He should have gone to New Zealand to confront Apple.

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      2. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Did he forget the magic word?

        But Apple IS a US company and therefore bound by the DMCA

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      3. Field Marshal Von Krakenfart
        Reply Icon
        Trollface

        Re: Did he forget the magic word?

        I always thought "Apple" was the magic word.....

        It turns other people's IP into money.....

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    2. GrumpyOldBloke
      Reply Icon

      Re: Did he forget the magic word?

      Memory!

      3 0
  4. amanfromearth

    He does sounds like an possible idiot

    He wants apps which have the content of his books removed so he can make an app himself and give away the content free.

    Sounds like an idiot; I'll put him down as a possible idiot.

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    1. g e
      Reply Icon
      Holmes

      Re: He does sounds like an possible idiot

      If it's his IP it's his right to do wtf he fancies with it, surely?

      But not anyone else's right.

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    2. Psyx
      Reply Icon
      WTF?

      Re: He does sounds like an possible idiot

      "He wants apps which have the content of his books removed so he can make an app himself and give away the content free."

      Because he'd rather people read what he has to say for free, rather than being ok with people having to pay some other guy to read his stuff, he's an idiot?

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  5. Mahou Saru

    Just because he wants to give them away....

    doesn't mean he doesn't want credit...

    But I guess I might have been trolled....

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  6. Bob Vistakin
    Facepalm

    If he deals with Apple he is an idiot

    What the issue here?

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    1. TRT Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: If he deals with Apple he is an idiot

      Not him, his publisher.

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  7. Robert Grant
    Unhappy

    Can't wait to see Tim Cook apologising for calling the guy an idiot

    Love that fall guy!

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  8. banjomike
    Unhappy

    Ko said he is still trying to convince Apple to publish an app of his own...

    ...I hope he isn't holding his breath. Apple do not forget and they do not forgive.

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  9. Alan Denman

    Just make it up guys

    Obviously someone is pirating his books.

    And in the other story maybe Apple does not like free books apps in its store.

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  10. Esskay
    Joke

    They might be his books...

    But they're Apple's books "on a mobile device".

    It's part of their new range, soon to include:

    A Tale of Two Cities On A Mobile Device

    Pride, A Mobile Device & Predjudice

    2001: On A Mobile Device

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    1. Frumious Bandersnatch
      Reply Icon

      Re: They might be his books...

      Eh, you realise that the first two of these are out of copyright, so anyone can publish a version of them?

      Or you can just get them at www.gutenberg.org, if that's what you want.

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      1. Esskay
        Reply Icon
        Trollface

        No they're not.

        They belong to Apple.

        0 0
  11. MrZoolook
    Trollface

    These books...

    ... are now Apple's IP. They have prior art after all... right?

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