back to article Apple in 873-page legal claim to word 'Pod'

Apple really, really, really wants exclusive rights to the word “Pod,” in names for tech products, the company has argued in an 873-page legal brief filed earlier this week. Steve Jobs & Co submitted the voluminous document in a dispute with Sector Labs, a startup that's developing a projector called the Video Pod, Wired.com …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    2001...

    Will require dialogue be re-dubbed. Obviously they can't say "open the p*d-bay doors since those p*ds are representative of technological devices. Oh and forget escape p*ds, they too would be technological, LOTFLMAO, these folks are just too much!

  2. Adair Silver badge

    United we stand...

    It's about time 'the world' told these trolls and chancers (however 'respectable' they may be), to FOAD, unless they can make a genuine case for loss of income or some other tangible loss.

  3. JaitcH
    WTF?

    Where's the problem?

    Any word in any dictionary on the date of a claim should fail automatically.

    This would protect words like Exxon, Taligent, Enron easily whilst Jobs can have his iPod but not prevent anyone else incorporating the word 'pod' into their products.

    The problem is unique to the American legal system and obviously requires updating.

    1. Tempest
      WTF?

      I like this. Bye, Bye Apple?

      Apple is a common usage word for a fruit that grows on a tree.

      Next Apple, the company, will be suing cider distillers, fruit orchard people AND living up to their competitors name of CRAB Apple!

  4. Evil Genius

    Birdseye

    "Fresh as the moment when the /snip/ went pop

    Good job Microsoft didn't try that with 'Windows' That would have buggered up Play School.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    i?

    How long before they try to claim the letter "i"?

  6. sleepy

    disgraceful

    It was an utter disgrace that the USA gave Microsoft exclusive use of "Windows", "Office", "Word" etc. all perfectly good and long established words we were previously allowed to use how we liked. Monkey see, monkey do, so you can't blame Apple for trying. After all, if there's a chance the courts will let you own part of the language, why not; it's capitalism.

    Nevertheless, I hope they lose. Even better if MS lose "Word", "Office" and "Windows".

  7. Justin 9
    FAIL

    "Pod"uct Launch

    Does that mean that apple will eventually write a 873,000,000 page document on how thaey would like exclusive rights on every word on the english lanuage because they might actually use it in a "pod"uct launch at some point in the future.

  8. LaeMing
    Flame

    Hmmm. Pod-racing.

    Apple lawyers meet LucasArts lawyers.

    May you mutually ahnialate.

  9. herman

    No peas in their pods

    Well, clearly Apple would resent having anyone pea in their pods...

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Pod People

    Don't forget the 1956 movie about the alien invaders that come from pods. Hey, maybe Steve is one of these?

  11. nigbose
    Pint

    ho ho

    I quite like iphones, but i do think Mr jobs deserves a PODshot...

    Ducks and runs

  12. Ray Simard
    Joke

    Thanks to @Greemble, and...

    ...I was just about to deliver a very swift kick to Mr. Jobs and all others guilty of this insanity, but my foot is sore and I cannot find a foot doctor since the Apple lawsuit forced them to change the name of their specialty.

    (Thanks to Greemble for reminding me of that brilliant Groucho Marx letter to WB.)

  13. Richard Wharram

    Pods

    Somebody should consider delivering a swift boot to Steve's 'Pods'.

    Come on... where's the Evil Steve icon ? We've had years of this now.

  14. Tom 79
    Terminator

    Legal Documents

    They should limit legal documents to 1000 words or less. If you can't state your case in 1000 words or less, you're making shit up.

  15. Sceptic Tank Silver badge
    Welcome

    Save the trees!

    PODocarpus Elongatus is in trouble. They're going to outlaw the lot of us.

  16. Cheshire Cat
    Stop

    They're not the first

    IBM trademarked the number 400 (as in AS/400) and Intel tried extremely hard to get exclusive rights to the number 386.

    Easyjet have a history of trying to own anything with 'Easy' in it, regardless of their current business. I think Apple want to own anything starting 'i'.

    I think companies need to take a step back and ask if the product in question has any liklihood at all of being associated with their company, and if there is any clear evidence that the product is being implied to be created by their company. If the answer is no, then any competent judge should throw it out. However in the US the judgements normally go to them as has the most money to hire lawyers....

  17. Bill P. Godfrey
    Pint

    Podcast?

    Shirley people have been calling things "podcasts" for long enough for it to be a generic term.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    *pod*

    If I recall this would put them on a collision course with another avid trademark protector, George Lucas, as I seem to recall the racing things were called pods, pod racing, and there are games, models, and I expect electronic toys of some sort base don them.

    Now that would be a funny sight to see as I recon lucasarts has better trademark lawyers then Apple.

    I remember George sinking "Battle Droids" (later called battle tech) as it used the word "droids" and he owned it. Of course battletech is one of the most sued board games about (robotech/macross people and Lucas both took a bite out of it.)

  19. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    More Prior

    Someone tell Line 6

    Pod is a digital guitar effects pedal, been around for as long as I've been playing

    http://line6.com/products/pod/

  20. TeeCee Gold badge
    Joke

    Evil genius wanted!

    Anyone care to knock together an army of giant, mutant leguminous vegetables and send 'em out on the rampage in Cupertino?

    Poetic justice, the best sort.

  21. Terry Ellis

    So much hate in this discussion

    Firstly to all the commenters stating this is an issue of copyright (OMG they trying to copyright the dictionary!!!) or 'patent' the word are clearly confused - this is an issue of trademark not of any other protected asset.

    Second it is perfrectly acceptatble to have a trademark for a word that is already in the dictionary, provided that you can make a case for it (as a commenter above noted, it hasn't stopped 'Windows' being afforded protection).

    Thirdly in order to enjoy the luxury of having a trademark it has to be defended else it might pass in to general language. That's why Google or Tivo are probably not happy that their trademarks have effectively become verbs - it then makes defense of your trademark much more difficult.

    Finally the comparison with POD shoes is a non-issue. The trademark can only be rigourously defended against other marks that might be considered competitors or are in the same market. If POD shoes suddenly made some kind of shoe based MP3 controller, that would be interesting. A relevant example is also the Apple computer versus Apple records dispute - in that case there was considerable debate about whether their activities overlapped or could be confused.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Completely missed that one...

    With ref to the quote way above about "Pad" and feminine hygeine products. So basically anyone that uses an iPad is a ...

    Unless your 'merkin, then you're just a...

    No offense meant at all, just lulz

  23. mittfh

    Just imagine...

    Back in the 1980s, there was a flurry of (short-lived) computer companies with fruity names. Imagine if Apple's lawyers had been around then...

    (Does a quick Google) - ooh, Apricot have been reincarnated!

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