Cisco and Apple today announced that they have resolved their dispute involving the “iPhone” trademark. Under the agreement, both companies are free to use the “iPhone” trademark on their products throughout the world. Both companies acknowledge the trademark ownership rights that have been granted, and each side will dismiss any pending actions regarding the trademark. In addition, Cisco and Apple will explore opportunities for interoperability in the areas of security, and consumer and enterprise communications. Other terms of the agreement are confidential.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/02/21iphone.html
MacDailyNews Take: Like we said: a non-story. Cisco and Apple wrung the last drop of free publicity from this one weeks ago. So, drop the ol’ “iPhone name dispute” off your talking points lists, FUDmeisters.
Related articles:
Apple and Cisco again extend negotiations on iPhone name – February 16, 2007
Apple, Cisco close in on deal over ‘iPhone’ name – February 01, 2007
Cisco could be on brink of losing iPhone name in Europe – January 13, 2007
Experts: Cisco lost rights to ‘iPhone’ trademark last year – January 12, 2007
Surprise, surprise, surprise: Cisco demos Apple TV-like device – January 12, 2007
Analysts: Cisco ‘iPhone’ trademark suit likely to have little impact on Apple, to be quickly settled – January 12, 2007
iPhone more than a trademark for Apple CEO Steve Jobs – January 11, 2007
Jim Cramer: Why Cisco really sued Apple – January 11, 2007
Cisco General Counsel explains ‘iPhone’ lawsuit; Cicso wanted interoperability with Apple iPhone – January 11, 2007
Apple calls Cisco’s ‘iPhone’ trademark lawsuit ‘silly,’ says ‘very confident we’ll prevail’ – January 11, 2007
Cisco sues Apple for ‘iPhone’ trademark infringement – January 10, 2007
The only thing really wrong with Apple’s iPhone is its name – January 09, 2007
Briefly: Apple changes corporate name; Cisco expects agreement on ‘iPhone’ trademark today – January 09, 2007
Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
wow… you got this fast.
Kinda reminds me of the “Cyber-Squatters” way back in the early days of the internet …
(say) you bought the domain “chevy.com” .. for the sole purpose of selling it to GM ..
Methinks Cisco may have anticipated the iPhone .. and did the same thing
about freakin time.cisco needs to get off their high horse
Glad we don’t have to read any more stories on this.
*throws up*
This was all very predictable. Steve Jobs would never have announced his new toy as the ‘iPhone’ if there had ever been any real danger.
I believe they had reached an ‘agreement’ even before Steve’s keynote.
You can bet that the ‘confidential terms’ of the agreement is a euphemism for ‘several hundred million dollars’.
several hundred million dollars?
probably not. When both sides agree to leave each other alone, and drop all actions, there was probably no money changing hands at all. the undisclosed terms are not disclosed because they might give away business plans.
The Apple Corps suit probably ended the same way. When each side pays it’s own legal fees there is not likely to be a cash settlement involved.
Apple is a high profile target for anybody with a beef. However, Apple has a bunch of good lawyers and doesn’t lose too often. They don’t win them all, but they don’t lose them all either.
BTW. AppleInsider and MacRumors had this an hour earlier….
– gws
Hazaah!
Wall St, you may proceed.
-c
I don’t like the idea that Cisco gets to use the name. It’s a misnomer as nobody on the face of the planet will think “Cisco” when they hear or see iPhone but I just don’t like it.
gws,
but why would Cisco cave in so easily?
I’m no lawyer; but if Cisco got the name first, the case is (was) pretty cut and dried, isn’t it?
Out-of-court agreements usually consist of sums of money changing hands.
So what are they going to call it?????
R2:
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I don’t think the name of CISCO is a well known name for the non-technical people.
but Apple …. you know
I heard Cisco decided to call their’s
MiPhone
“Methinks Cisco may have anticipated the iPhone .. and did the same thing”
Actually, I read that they acquired the name when they purchased another company. The other company (whose name I don’t recall) may have squatted on it, but Cisco can’t be accused of it.
I believe the whole lawsuit was a publicity stunt. It was probably part of what Cisco required for sharing the name. It got them a lot of cheap publicity. Mission accomplished.
thanx for the update, ndelc …
It always sounded (to me) that might have been the case
This is great news boneheads!
Cisco’s trademark was not well defended, as they had no product with that name until Dec (day before expiration) and then the photo of the product was questionable – the iPhone name was a sticker slapped onto the box.
In the end, Apple gets to use the name that everyone associates with Apple, and nobody will even notice the Cisco/Linksys products with the iPhone name. Assuming the word “explore” is the truth (I’d like to see the legal agreement and not just the press release), then Apple has not yet given in on the “interoperability” that Cisco wanted. Cisco said earlier that it was not about money; they wanted interoperability with Apple’s products (including AppleTV). So I’d believe that no money changed hands.
I’d also believe that Apple and Cisco revealed some future Internet-related plans to each other, and these form the basis of the other confidential terms.
MDN word – method, as in there was some method to this madness.
Don’t care what it’s called and how the IP is owned.
Just deliver the product on time and as promoted by the big guy back in January (or to a higher specification) because I want three: one each for my wife and I and a third as a backup unit should either one of our units fail.
A device like this is going to be so much in demand. And being so intensely personal that I supect I would miss it within hours should it fail or be stolen.
Here’s a question for you diehard MacHeads: how long can you last without your Mac before cold-turkey sets in?
For the record, I’m a MacUser since 1984…
HAHA a Dell ad on MDN
Ask 500 million people who makes the “iPhone” and 99.9999999% will say “Apple”. Cisco got their 15 minutes of fame, now Cisco can recede into irrelevance and obscurity. I hope that Cisco is happy, I am.
In other words, Apple gets to use “iPhone” and Cisco gets nothing (Cisco being able to use the “iPhone” name is practically meaningless). Bottom line… Apple wins.
@Mike
Click on the Dell ad and see where it takes you … go on give it a go.
In addition, Cisco and Apple will explore opportunities for interoperability in the areas of security, and consumer and enterprise communications. Other terms of the agreement are confidential.
Translation
Cisco and Big Brother muscled Apple not to lock them out of the wealth of intelligence information that will eventually reside on iPhones and not on Windows PC’s anymore.
Cisco routers – numerous backdoors
Xerox – yellow codes on each color copy
AT&T- secret rooms next to internet backbones
Microsoft – keeping it’s OS and software infinitely insecure.
Just because your not paranoid, doesn’t mean they are not watching you.
Oh yea I forgot, Google pernamently records all your internet searchs, your computers IP addresses, the time and date.
You can’t beat that kind of free publicity. Now this is over and Apple tv will be shipping soon, more press. Then leopard press. Then a mysterious product update press release. then iPhone, then, then then Gates and Jobs death match, where Gates breaks down crying , “we’re more secure AND cool, damn it”.