Levy reports, “The companies agreed to share the iPhone name in February, averting a potential court case. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs and Cisco are now discussing how to make Apple’s iPhone compatible with Cisco’s business and consumer equipment, Giancarlo said. Apple plans to start selling its iPhone, which combines a mobile phone with the iPod, in June.”
“‘We’re optimistic, but it’s still early,’ Giancarlo, 49, said about the negotiations in an April 13 interview in San Francisco. Ways in which the companies’ products can work together ‘are now being investigated by both technical teams,'” Levy reports.
Levy reports, “The talks aren’t centered on making Cisco’s iPhone, an Internet-based home phone, compatible with Apple’s. Cisco wants the Apple iPhone to work with its corporate phone systems, Giancarlo said. A partnership would allow users to get the same services, such as instant messaging and teleconferencing, on their Cisco desk phones and Apple iPhones.”
Levy reports, “In addition to getting Apple’s iPhone to work with Cisco corporate systems, the companies also are looking at ways their products can work together in the consumer market, Giancarlo said. ‘`We’re now in the investigation phase,’ he said. ‘We’ll know more in a couple months.'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: 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 has dismissed 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.
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