back to article Ex-Apple man Sam Sung - for it is he - sticks namebadge on eBay

Life must have been pretty tough as the only Apple employee named after the fruity firm's arch enemy. But don't feel too bad for Sam Sung of Vancouver, Canada, because he's set to make a small fortune simply by selling his Apple name badge. Auctioning my old Apple Sam Sung business card on eBay for charity http://t.co/ …

  1. Sir Barry
    Pint

    If I had the cash I would buy it just for the novelty.

    Samsung (the company) should buy it, place it in a decent frame and display it in HQ Reception.

    Beer coz it's Friday and I have a whole week off work to look forward to.

    Cheers...

  2. returnmyjedi

    Crumbs. It's up to US$80,000 (at time of typing). That would cover the bar bill for Apple and Samsung's patent lawyers for at least one night.

    Joking aside, great that it's going to charity and hole it makes much more. Might change my name to Power Mac g4 Cube and apply for a job at Samsung.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Charity?

      Hmmm....

      I think it's great that people want to help charity (you know there's a but coming), but, it's much better (imho) if people actually check their money is going somewhere useful first.

      Children’s Wish Foundation International doesn't appear to spend that much actually making dying children's wishes come true, somewhere around 10% of donated money;

      http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/

      http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/childrenswish.html

      http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3490#.U-S6bdJDuPw

      Shame really, imagine taking that $80k and instead of giving 90% to fund a charity and 10% to the kids, you could find some kids that need it, talk to them 1:1 and do some real good. Not that I have anything to brag about, less that 5% of my salary goes to good causes (although I have checked those ones out - Wateraid, SOS Childrens Villages and Oxfam for example)

      1. Midnight

        Re: Charity?

        Sam Sung lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and is donating the proceeds of this auction to the BC and Yukon branch of "The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada". The Tampa Bay Times did some digging into the financial records of "Children's Wish Foundation International", which is based in the USA and has a similar sounding name but no other connection with TCWFoC.

        http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1184275/statement-by-the-children-s-wish-foundation-of-canada-regarding-recent-cnn-tampa-bay-times-investigation

        I don't know for sure that Sam Sung isn't donating $80,000 to an organization made up of lizard aliens who want to steal all of our planet's water, but it doesn't look like he's sending to to Florida so that's okay.

  3. Bloodbeastterror

    Joke, right...?

    It's now $80,200.00. Seriously?

    But as returnmyjedi says, if these are serious bids, all power to the buyers, since it's going to charity.

    1. Turtle

      @Bloodbeastterror

      "if these are serious bids"

      Difficult to think that they are. But we'll find out soon enough.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Joke, right...?

      The combination of Apple and Samsung in one item.

      1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: Joke, right...?

        The combination of Apple and Samsung in one item.

        So, most iDevices then?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Do Apple lawyers have a sense of decency?

    The most surprising thing about this is that Apple's lawyers haven't slapped him with an injunction to prevent him from exploiting their intellectual rights in the t-shirt and business card, not to mention them doubtless considering that it's all still Apple's property.

    1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
      Childcatcher

      Re: Do Apple lawyers have a sense of decency?

      If Apple did stop this sale then they would get a load of bad publicity. Striesdand Effect and all that.

      Apple (good or bad) do donate a lot of time and effort to Charity. Tim Cook takes part in the Pride Day.

      Apple could do the right thing and not only let this continue but donate an identical amount that the items get sold for to the same charity (as long as Samsung does not buy it... )

      Then again, there is no accounting for the stupidity of Lawyers whose only thought is to line their own pockets.

      Children Icon naturally.

      1. Michael Strorm Silver badge

        Re: Do Apple lawyers have a sense of decency?

        "Striesdand Effect and all that."

        The "Streisand Effect" isn't a general synonym for bad publicity- it refers specifically to cases where the attempts to *censor or suppress* information end up backfiring, making it far *more* visible and well-known than it would have been otherwise.

        In this case, Apple would (hypothetically) not be trying to cover anything up per se, so it doesn't apply.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Do Apple lawyers have a sense of decency?

        You mean the CEO is overcompensating trying to rid apple of the Selfish Prickish attitude it has had up till now in regards to charity. Yes we all saw the irony when a certain someone needed a damned liver donated to them.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Do Apple lawyers have a sense of decency?

          No, he's not overcompensating. Tim Cook is reportedly gay, so taking part in Pride Day is something he might want to do whether Apple has the best or worst reputation in the world for charity-wise.

  5. Steve Todd
    Thumb Down

    Why did Jasper

    Feel the need to talk down the value of something being auctioned for charity? That's poor form and reflects badly on him IMHO.

    1. Keith 21
      FAIL

      Re: Why did Jasper

      Well what else did we expect from Jasper, never one to knowingly give up the opportunity to sneer at the efforts of others who are actually doing something constructive.

      Then again, the article was written by someone who can't even get the basic facts right, failing in the very second sentence - "But don't feel too bad for Sam Sung of Vancouver, Canada, because he's set to make a small fortune simply by selling his Apple name badge." It's not until much further down that our valiant hack actually grudgingly concedes that Mr Sung will not make anything from the sale, as he is donating all the proceeds to charity.

      Journalistic integrity - would be nice occasionally...

      *sigh*

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Why did Jasper

        Actually, in this case it's not that bad, but again he asks a loaded question:

        Would you pay all that money for an Apple ID badge? Go below and let us know.

        I would pay all that money (if I had it) for charity. The mechanism by which is less relevant.

      2. Frankee Llonnygog

        Re: Why did Jasper

        You can't blame Jasper for being jealous, since he gets paid in billy-goats rather than cash

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Why did Jasper

          You can't blame Jasper for being jealous

          I may dislike his /writing style/, but I deem it unfair to attack the /person/. I personally don't know him, and until I meet someone face to face I try to stay away from such conclusions (in the majority of cases you'll discover you're wrong anyway). Just my two cents.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Why did Jasper

            Pretty sure making a joke about someone being paid with billy goats is a joke reference to Scotland or whatever. Not really a personal attack.

            1. Eddy Ito
              Trollface

              Re: Why did Jasper

              They're just billy goats, no need to be Gruff.

          2. Frankee Llonnygog

            Re: Why did Jasper

            Really? I'm commenting on his journalism which seems to me to consist of minimally rewriting press releases in an inflammatory way purely to generate page views in the comments section. In other words, a form of trolling - at which he is very successful, it has to be said.

  6. Andy Taylor
    Boffin

    EasyPay Necklace?

    The white thing that goes around your neck is a Lanyard. It tells the customer the name of the wearer and contains space for business cards. Supposedly designed by Sir Jony, like all other plastic Apple products, it has a weak spot and cracks easily.

    An EasyPay is a payment device comprising an iPod Touch and a Chip/Pin Reader (depending on country). EasyPays cost several hundred pounds each and are not allowed out of the store.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: EasyPay Necklace?

      So that would be why whoever made the white thing that goes around your neck went to the trouble to screen print easy pay onto it and Sam thoughtfully put an apple business card in the bottom right corner of the frame. If you are going to sneer at least look at the fucking picture.

      1. Andy Taylor

        Re: EasyPay Necklace?

        " If you are going to sneer at least look at the fucking picture."

        I did, I used to have one of those with my name on it and it is what I said - just a name badge/business card holder. The one in the picture is advertising EasyPay for customers - using your iPhone and iTunes account to make purchases in the store.

        This is an (old model) EasyPay for comparison: http://gadgetynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Apple-EasyPay.jpg

  7. RainForestGuppy

    What about his collegues??

    Andy Roid

    Win(nie) Dose

    Eric Sun

    Len Ovo

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: What about his collegues??

      Don't forget Del!

  8. Charles Manning

    Apple property

    Like it or not, the id cards are the legal property of Apple. It isn't "his" badge, even if it has his likeness on it.

    If he stole a computer and sold it on ebay for charity would that be Ok?

    1. Phil W

      Re: Apple property

      It's not stated the the article, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he sought permission before listing the stuff.

      If you want to be really cynical you might even think it was Apple's PR department that came up with the idea rather than Mr Sung himself.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Apple property

      "If he stole a computer and sold it on ebay for charity would that be Ok?"

      Yes. Yes it would. I personally don't mind stealing from the rich to give to the poor.

      Who are you? the sheriff of Nottingham?

  9. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge
    Coat

    Oh, the irony

    That badge / business card has suspiciously square corners....

  10. Julian Taylor
    WTF?

    "Both are collected in a cheap looking frame packaged with an equally cheap-looking Apple staff t-shirt."

    Sometimes I wonder whatever did Apple do to Jasper? Did his childhood pet puppy/rabbit/kitten get boiled alive by Steve Jobs, or something like that?

  11. kmac499

    Great Great Graddaddy of

    Allowing for Nominative Drift over the centuries is Sam Sung the ancestor of Noonien Soong Designer of the androids Data and Lore ?? That old Apple magic baked into the genes

    We should be told ..

    Huge Kudos to Sam for his efforts...

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Selling items that don't belong to you is a criminal offence

    Doing so for charity does not make it legal.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Selling items that don't belong to you is a criminal offence

      Selling items that don't belong to you is a criminal offence

      Doing so for charity does not make it legal.

      Thank you for that wisdom. Of course, Mr Sam Sung is of such limited intellectual capacity that he has entirely forgotten about this.

      Alternatively, as the names are PRINTED on the badges they'll be impossible to recycle, and it is thus possible that Sam has asked Apple if he could have them, and mentioning the intention would have made certain that any person with even a shred of feeling for good PR would have agreed to that.

      Respect of the guy to come up with the idea, and respect to the manager who had enough braincells to recognise a good idea when they came across it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Selling items that don't belong to you is a criminal offence

        Having his name on them and being unrecyclable still does not make them his.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Selling items that don't belong to you is a criminal offence

          Having his name on them and being unrecyclable still does not make them his.

          Which part of "asking for permission" do you need explained?

  13. Mr Me

    Apple users are braindead trendy zombies. Most people are but apple attracts a special breed of incoherent and retarded social parasites at the same time.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Wow. And you know all these people personally so you can make such a sweeping statement without feeling embarrassed?

      On the plus side, you have qualified for most clueless statement (so far) of 2014 which is not bad going for your first ever post - did you specifically join just to make that comment? Congratulations.

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nice of you to use words with more than 1 syllable in them. You can tell your nurse from me that you are definitely showing signs of improvement.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The winning bid was $2,653.

    I guess there was a load of bogus bids.

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