back to article Apple said to threaten legal action over Steve Jobs doll

If you're a Jobsian fanboi jonesing for the recently announced Steve Jobs action figure, we have some bad news for you: Apple doesn't want you to have one. So reports The Telegraph, which says that the Chinese action-figure maker In Icons has received a letter from Cupertino's lawyers threatening legal action should the 12- …

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  1. Wang N Staines

    As miss Abbot once said, "all white men look the same to me"...

  2. Silverburn
    Facepalm

    Can I just say...

    ..that in this instance and ignoring the subject matter, that this is something that's come out of China that's actually quite a good job? There's some proper attention to detail there, and the replication of materials is good. The wrists could have been done better - it's all very 1980's action man - but on the whole this is a good replication.

    Oh dear...I may have just let slip about my doll collection fetish...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Down

      Looks like a Photoshop job, to me. I think, purely in the name of research, The Reg should buy one and show us what the thing actually looks like "in the plastic". I suspect it might bear as little resemblance to that photo as certain inflatable companions do to real women.

  3. Pete 2 Silver badge

    Number 2

    > Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,

    Fortunately the Ten Commandments are now out of copyright (though presumably if they'd been sent to Disney instead of Moses, that copyright term would have been extended while there was still money to be made from them) so I can quote the above.

    It does sound like part of the Jobs deification process - maybe Apple is set to turn into a church, if only for the tax breaks. Though if Apple Corp. does get into the salvation business I can't help wondering how long it will take them to patent the sacraments, copyright all the iconography then sue the Catholics, Jews, Muslims and Hindus.

  4. jabuzz

    Princess DIana

    Was tried after Princess Diana died and it failed. Apple and the estate of Steve Jobs are onto a loosing wicket.

  5. EddieD

    Even more irrelevant...

    I don't think that the descendants of Peter the Apostle, currently domiciled in the Vatican, have done that badly by exploiting the image of the Nazarene. No-one is quite sure as to the current value of the Roman Catholic church, but it's in the billions (pending lawsuits notwithstanding).

    Add in the value of all the competing franchises, and that's not a small amount of wonga.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yes, but ...

    ... will it blend?

  7. stu 4
    Gimp

    fah!

    where's my realdoll.com steve jobs with 3 realistic openings, that's what I'm waiting for.....

  8. Nameless Faceless Computer User
    Joke

    This provides evidence that Steve was really an android built by Apple whose firmware could not run on their new Lion operating system.

  9. gaz 7

    El Reg has to get one of these

    There is some seriously dodgy fun that the Register (and others) could have with this doll and other playmobil or other toys.....

    Especially on Fridays....

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Dirty.

    How would you like it if people made a doll of your departed relative (without your consent) and started selling it?

    1. Intractable Potsherd
      Thumb Down

      Liking is irrelevant.

      I may not like it, but there would be absolutely nothing in law that I could do about it. I would also be very pleased that there was nothing in law that I could do about it, because such a law would be insane.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Sorry?

      I mean it's not like Steve Jobs was famous or anything, and they see films, clips, photos, magazines, and books of/about him every day??

    3. A J Stiles
      Thumb Down

      Re: Dirty

      I might not like it, but there's nothing to stop them -- and more to the point, neither should there be. There can be no intellectual property inherent in a person's likeness.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You probably cannot stop they trying to do it (right or wrong) and Apple should probably not try - just gives them more publicity. The best option would be for no-one to buy it.

  12. proto-robbie
    Pirate

    He's back...

    ...the iDoll?

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

  13. Purlieu

    Indeed

    American iDoll

    groan

  14. Chris Evans

    Civil not criminal

    The reporting doesn't pick up on the only interesting point which is that it is claimed to be a criminal offence! The article also fails to make it clear who is claiming it is criminal, apple or the newspaper?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Jeve Stobs Dolls

    Now Available.

    *All likeness is purely coincidental..

    1. hplasm
      Happy

      Can you get

      Verity Stob dolls too?

  16. Winkypop Silver badge
    Big Brother

    It's a doll

    It's made of plastic.

    Move along here, there's nothing to see.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wonder...

    I see you can change the trousers, can you swap the internal organs as well?

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    unless...

    they get a 30% cut of the sales.

  19. Marty
    Childcatcher

    its time to lawyer up....

    It makes no difference if the claim has any legal legs or not, its about who can fund or are willing to fund the lawyers longer.

    If the company that is producing these dolls is going to spend more money defending against the claim than they are likely to make in profits in sales then what are they going to do? the sensible thing is pull the plug on the production..

    its not about right or wrong these days, its about who can afford to pay the lawyers longer...

    I bet apple corp will buy up any figures they have already produced and have them on sale in the apple stores as a limited edition (with a % going to a relevant charity of course).

    can we have an expensive lawyer icon please

    1. Matthew Collier

      True if...

      ....the Chinese company has a US presence. If they don't and choose to ignore any suit, they could just sell the thing from their, presumably, Chinese website, and spend nothing on legal costs!?

      Am I missing something? ;)

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    proof, if needed.....

    ....that 95% of people out there are just SAD SAD SAD individuals.

    Anyone buying of these monstrosities needs to be put to sleep like the rabid animal they portray.

    WOW you really are a sad bunch! (Probably facebook using, iphone owning, tweeting lunatics who'll follow any fking crowd because you've no identity of your own!)

    Let’s hope nature creates a disease that attacks your type and rids the planet of the dross.

  21. Benanov
    Devil

    Only one question I have...

    Does it come with a spare liver?

  22. Local Group
    Childcatcher

    "The evil that men do lives after them....

    The good is oft made into a 12" action figure.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Aaaaaaaahggggghhhhhhhhh

    It's Chucky's evil brother....

  24. zen1
    Pint

    lol

    all I can think of is a commercial that aired in the US a couple years ago, for Nissan. It involved, Barbie, Ken and G.I. Joe. Ken, complete with pink sweatter wrapped around his neck, heads over to Barbie's house, however he shows up just in time to see her hopping in a Z car with GI Joe.

    Sorry, I think Apple has stepped a little too far over the line this time.

    However, I do wonder who would win a hypothetical fight between a Ken doll or a Jobs doll? While I think Ken may have the physical edge, Jobs' razor sharp tongue and explosive temper might be enough to take Ken down. All he needs is a Kung fu grip and he could be an icon like Chuck Norris.

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