“Cisco [has] announced that it has filed a lawsuit in federal court in California against Apple, seeking to prevent Apple ‘from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco’s registered iPhone trademark,'” Ashby Jones blogs for The Wall Street Journal.
Jones reports, “With its lawsuit, Cisco is seeking injunctive relief to prevent Apple from copying Cisco’s iPhone trademark… Apple spokesman Steve Dowling called the Cisco lawsuit ‘silly,’ adding there are several companies using the term iPhone for VOIP products, and Cisco’s trademark is ‘tenuous at best.’ ‘We’re the first company to ever use the iPhone name for a cellphone,’ he said. ‘If Cisco wants to challenge us on it, we’re very confident we’ll prevail.'”
Full article here.
Related articles:
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
@mike
bingo.
Apple had a backup name ready but felt confident to go ahead with iPhnoe name.
Cisco is using this opportunity to grab a little last minute attention before they look stupid with the name on their dumb product.
The logo on the gadget is the classic Apple and the name of the device is on the touchscreen so Apple can change the name if they need to.
Apple legal had a landslide with the Beatles so they must be pretty confident they can wup Cisco.
Cisco rhymes with Crisco, they’re both saturated fat
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To iwa87, Yes, and all employees at Apple wears black turtleneck and jeans.
Apple should just name it “ThePhone” as all other phones have just become obsolete.
Or even just “iPod phone”, like “iPod mini”, “iPod nano”, “iPod shuffle” and “iPod video” (which will be the iPhone without the phone and with an HDD).
“iPod phone” is the best name since it falls inline with the other iPods.
Apple: call it ÜberPhone!
Sometimes a Tell can be strategic and who hasn’t sacrificed a queen to claim victory?
I welcome the challenge by Cisco because whatever the outcome we’ll all be better off. Apple pushes the envelope and when have they ever played it safe? They have gone to great lengths to separate themselves from the pack by taking risks, extreme but calculated risks. That’s what makes Apple Apple.
This whole business of labeling products with the “i” is fast becoming generic and when Apple begins licensing the iPod technology the only thing that will differentiate one iPod from another are the name behind the assembler and the merits of the product itself.
In other words, I see nothing wrong with Cisco iPhone or Apple iPhone or Apple iPod or Dell iPod.
What some are calling arrogance, I call shrewd.
Have a look at the new name…the cartoon to-day in the National Post.
The kid in the cartoon has a backpack, so is one of those young people who gets it. The picture is an iPhone, with the young guy with a backpack named iWant.
Sharp eyes will note the page has a spelling error, as in Thrusday.
As it stands, the name of the iPhone is just not very compelling. Surely Apple can do better than that.
How about iBrain? iKnow? iAm? iWindo? iThink? iGate?
This thing helps out the human brain.
How about “iMobile” or “iCom”?
iPodPhone
Apple, Inc. should simply release a press release say that the new name of the Phone is Apple (Icon) Phone and be done with it.
Then Cisco, the crappy company that they are can be remembered in the footnotes of history as the company that killed the Phone there own product! After all, by june the new improved Apple (Icon) Phone (formally Phone) will have real IP service! Then how many Phone do you think Cisco will sell – 1, 10, 100, or maybe even 1,000) WOW!
The name will be changed to Apple Phone just like the iTV was changed… Just think of all the free publicity this will bring!