Mighty Mouse trademark awarded to Man & Machine, Mister Trouble can stop hanging around now (updated with analysis)
By Ross Miller 
posted Oct 7th 2009 11:06PM
posted Oct 7th 2009 11:06PM
Update: Nilay here, with some trademark law nerdery for you. This trademark has a long and convoluted history, as you'd expect. CBS and Man & Machine actually both filed for the Mighty Mouse mark as it relates to computer mice in 2007 -- and CBS actually filed for it first, in May. Here's the kicker, though -- Man & Machine not only filed for this particular trademark in December of that year, but it also simultaneously sued Apple and CBS over their use of the name. Saucy! Both trademark applications were then put on hold while that case was sorted out -- and after two years of bickering, they finally settled the case and CBS abandoned its registration in June of this year, allowing Man & Machine to resume its registration. Since Apple and CBS were essentially precluded from opposing that renewed registration, it more or less sailed right through, and here we are. Simple, innit?
Oh, and for our occasionally misguided friends in the media: it's important to note that CBS and Man & Machine were the involved parties here, and they ultimately settled their dispute out of court. Apple was simply along for the ride, since its agreement was with CBS. If you're going to run with any sensational version of this, we'd suggest something along the lines of Apple screwing this up by not just buying Man & Machine for this mark years ago -- we're certain it would have been cheaper than the millions everyone's undoubtedly spent litigating this since. Got that? Good.
[Via TechCrunch]
Read - USPTO database entry for Man & Machine's "Mighty Mouse" registration
Read - Man & Machine's Mighty Mouse product page
Anybody got any new mouse names? Feel free...
...I got nothin'
albino mouse cause its all white
iPad, made of glass with multitouch capabilities like their trackpads.
...and no buttons, dammit.
I know it sounds lame but
iClick
Didn't you see the article? The name "Really Cool Mouse" is now wide open!
iWasMighty?
"myti mouse", its waaay more 'gangsta' when you miss-spell things... bro..
Tampax mouse
iRat
Honestly, computer mice are a dying breed. The glass trackpad is all I need on a MacBook, and it should be embedded in the next keyboard that Apple should offer for its desktop machines. I would love that for my Mac mini media center's Bluetooth keyboard too, although I now use the iPhone as a trackpad/keyboard/media remote combo. The Mighty Mouse name is kinda worthless to Apple now.
Danger Mouse.
You are welcome.
@Jean-Michel Decombe
Just try to convince a computer gamer the mouse is obsolete. I dare you.
When it comes to playing any sort of shooter there is no equal.
I'm sure there's a tablet joke in here somewhere...
iCrap
They should call it the Logitech MX518. Oh wait... that name is already taken by my favorite mouse.
It's already silver and black... so it matches Apple's machines better than the white bar of soap "Mighty Mouse" anyway. Apple should have just used the MX518... instead of trying to create a "better" mouse.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178
@PlotHole If we are approaching an era where only old fogies, gamers, and CAD users are really tied to the mouse, it is entirely plausible that it will be allowed to die down to a niche product. To the specific example, how many users still bother to buy a gamepad or joystick for older styles of games?
@Jean-Michel Decombe's comment may be a bit of a stretch, but not nearly enough of one to warrant so low a rating.
Wouldn't iMouse be the obvious choice?
@YoYoYo
Joysticks and gamepads mainly benefit flight simulators and fighting games. The former is a niche genre anyways, while the latter has never been all that popular on the PC. Shooters on the other hand are extremely popular. And for this genre no other existing interface really can come close to matching the precision and accuracy of a mouse. Least of all a trackpad.
But even outside of gaming I have a hard time believing anything could supplant the mouse in the perceivable future. Touchscreens might become a bit more popular, but will desktop users really want to hold their arms out towards the monitor all day long? I doubt it. And honestly, what could possibly shift the market towards *trackpads*?
MightyRat
How about MARGINAL MOUSE, short for Marginally Acceptable Over Priced Mouse. The whole thing just would never look good on a box, hence the abbreviated name.
WTF?!
Maybe they'll whip out one of those new microsoft mice, slap an apple sticker on it, raise the price by $200 and ship it everywhere.
LOL! +1
Apple should have their new mouse, Speedy Gonzalez, out by Christmas.
¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!
But Speedy is not White.... :( He is a proud Mexican. Ayayay!
Proud? LOL!
hispanic and latino are subsections of caucasian (white) in the american census records. there is reason behind this: the brown mexican is actually of caucasian and native american heritage. the spaniards that colonized/raped/pillaged mexico were all white. the native american (the continent of north america, not the country of america) peoples that were living there are what provide the brown coloration. so, in conclusion, speedy gonzales (unless he has documented proof of his native american heritage) is white.
ps this is not intended to denigrate my fine mexican brethren. it is merely tounge in cheek mental masturbation. can is say masturbation....?
MASTURBATION!
or you know they could just buy the patent from Man & Machine or evn the whole company because it doesn't seem to be all that big
Apples version has the worst scroll wheel of any mouse, over senisitive and gets stuck very easily, surprised apple havent discontinued it. Especially sinse they invented the mouse!!!
Sorry but personlly i think PC mouses are better despite my hate of anything thats not running OSX,
I love Microsoft Mouses. The Natural 7000. I carry it everywhere.
apple didn't invent the mouse, xerox did
apple just bought it from them because they knew what to do with it, and xerox didn't.
I did a little reading (Wiki it, or correct me if I'm wrong here),
apparently Xerox had/made a mouse just before Apple got popular with it.
Xerox invented all the money making computer stuff. Makes you wonder why they kept the copier around.
Xerox did not invent the mouse. Doug Englebart did at the Stanford Research Institute.
"Sorry but personlly i think PC mouses are better despite my hate of anything thats not running OSX,"
I think you mean mice don't you?
"Sorry but personlly i think PC mouses are better despite my hate of anything thats not running OSX"
I think you mean mice don't you?
Only if he's talking about rodents. Mouses is the proper plural for the computer peripheral.
Only if he's talking about rodents. Mouses is the proper plural for the computer peripheral.
Real men don't use mouses, we use cmd or terminal depending on our OS
No one invented the mouse, God did
This is just in time with all the rumours of a line refresh. Now maybe they will make a good mouse but i will miss lifting up my mouse and seeing MM's face under there :(
The one by Man & Machine is better anyway.
LOLOLOL!!!!!
He he he.
The time to have replaced that monstrosity known as the Mighty Mouse was before it was ever unleashed onto the world.
Apple wouldn't know how to make a good peripheral if it smacked them in the face.
Logitech and even Microsoft on the other hand, they know mice and keyboards.
I personally like wheel scrolling more than trackball surfing. Wheels are big but fast. Trackballs are slow but ultra-maneuverable.
Apple and Microsoft's concepts look very good though, so we'll see how things play out.
Ill just stick with the microsoft mouse i have plugged into the mac at my house.
oh the irony
Have about "SensibleMouse"
And just make a mouse with 2 buttons and a scroll wheel.
I know it's not exciting and innovative, but it works.
If Apple's new mouse is anything like the trend has been there, it will either look exactly the same and claim its faster and beefier, or they'll add a camera
Camera in a mouse, now that'd be iinnovation.
So you know those Microsoft prototypes...at least a couple of them used cameras...
Camera on a mouse... but then it couldn't be a gaming mouse.
But then it wouldn't be a great gaming devi....oh wait, nevermind.
Good. It was the worst thing I've ever bought.
How about "Epic Mouse?"
Get it, like Epic Mickey? Okay, I'll down-rank myself now.
Epic would require it to be at least decent.
Well, they got away with "Mighty" for all those years......
True.
Trademark Fail.
I feel that I ought to point out that, despite the fact that it has received many comments, this is kind of not a very interesting story.
The Mouse Previously Known as Mighty. Sounds like a good name to me :)
It's a shame that having a cartoon called Mighty Mouse in 1944 doesn't count for anything.
Also, Man & Machine sounds like a porn site, not a peripheral manufacturer.
how ??? lol
Man & Machine sounds like a Discovery Channel show, or a New Terminator Movie, even an College Course on Sociology, but porn?
It counts for products that are related to a cartoon show about a super hero (lunchboxes, bedsheets, capes, and such), but to get trademark rights in a computer peripheral, you have to actually sell it as a computer peripheral. Man & Machine did that first, so they won.
I have to wonder what use the rumored multitouch mouse would have. I like my wireless MM as it is, and every time I've tried the different touch gestures on the new MacBooks at the store, I've found it to be less intuitive for me. Physically pushing into the trackpad to click things, as well as swiping multiple fingers in different combinations to control windows, just seems odd. I use basic Expose functions and I'm happy with it.
Yes, I'll probably get one when it comes out... my trackball keeps clogging up anyway.
Who cares anyway?
Not even a Chinese KIRF company would use such a stupid name as "Mighty Mouse".
I guess CBS (owners of THE Mighty Mouse) is laughing all the way to the bank after all those licensing deals.
the pen is mightier than the mouse. That's why WinMo 6.5 rocks.
I LOVE Apple computers, iPods and the iPhone. The mighty mouse, however, is absolutely horrible. I don't mind the squeezy keys on the side. I actually think that's ok(ish). The scroll ball is horrible. The shape isn't great. My wireless one stopped working pretty quick. Logitech make my favourite mice. Once you get used to a Wacom tablet, it's hard to go back to mice, though.
Looks zest fully clean. Don't drop it.
Apple mice isn´t a big deal
But does prototypes from microsoft are like mutantes mice.
Who cares a company like microsoft is only big interest is sell. profits,sell ,profits,sell,profits.sell profits,sell,profits.
Who cares companys like hp toshiba acer dell sony for mention some , is only interest is make cheap products and make profits.
Does microsoft really cares about the consumer experience with the product ??? NO ,their interest is to see how many w7 licences they sold, even if the consumer copy some millions is still a lot PROFIT for them. WHATS IMPORTANT IS THE SALES NUMBER
Does hp dell asus sony etc cares about the consumer experience with the product,???NO their interest is to give to the consumer the lowest price possible , the most cheap material they can get , doesnt matter if is from taiwan, china , quality cheap, design cheap , durability cheap, reliability cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap, doesnt matter if the customer is happy with it or not , or if the product works fine. WHAT CARES IS SALES NUMBER
Does apple cares about the consumer experience with the product ??? YES THEY DO, first of all they give support , apples stores have cost that others companys dont have , products with better quality ,better durability ,better design , green products, user friendly, apple listen the needs of their clients, their upgrades in the products are made after they listen the consumer needs and complains , where they can improve.
in apple they care what the user think, and they working hard for give you the best product ALLWAYS.
apple profit matters but is not the most important ,the most important is YOU , CUSTOMER FIRST.
bring back the puck mouse!
and i agree, i haven't used a proper mouse since i got a wacom tablet either. i dont know if i'd want to
LMAO - the irony! Since Apple keeps hitting on any company who uses an 'apple' in their logo, like the NYC green/recycling logo and the recent Australian Woolworths logo. Looks like they got a dose of their own medicine this time.
Dear Nilay Patel,
I want to be with you. Yes, this is a figure of speech. Thanks for being awesome. Hopefully we can be friends.
Kind regards,
Tinez
Mighty Rat
iMouse
Apple Mouse
Mouse with no Buttons
I sometimes feel copyright does more harm than good.
This is it!
Finally!
Plan of Approach:
1) Sue Apple
2) Say no to any offers Apple will give
3) Force Apple to stop production of their mighty mouse
4) Force Apple to remove all stock of their mighty mouse
5) Force Apple to stop all sales of their mighty mouse
6) Force Apple to call back all sold mighty mouse's (mice?)
7) Profit for everyone (except apple)....
Boy is Apple's Mightymouse the worst mouse in history...
It's a great mouse for about three months, then the ball gets gummed up and it's a pain in the neck.
I've been rocking a Logitech laptop mouse ever since I dumped my Mac.
worst mice/mouses ever?
Apple should trademark theirs as the Carpal Mouse in honor of it's functional benefits.
(and by functional I don't mean what you can do with it, but what extended use of it will do to your wrist, hand and arm)
I vote for iRAT
CultMouse
MytiMouse
Gummed-up Rollerball with a Halfway Decent Mouse
PodMouse
Apple iMouse
iMighty iMouse
I think there should be a vote. Which mouse sucks the most?
This one. Maybe a bottom 10 list?
If the mac n trash mice only have one button then why do macs support the 2 button microsoft mouse?
The right button behaves exactly the same on both mac and pc?