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Realistic Steve Jobs action figure now out of production
Don't get your hopes up about having that controversial Steve Jobs action figure adorning your desk or bookshelf. The Hong Kong businessman behind the product has decided to halt all production of the realistic Jobs doll. Tandy Cheung of In Icons Productions has announced that the product is no more on the company website. saying the item won't be sold now or in the future. "Unfortunately we have received immense pressure from the lawyers of Apple and Steve Jobs family," he notes. Cheung originally claimed he wasn't going to be pressured to take the action figure off the market. The legal issues are murky, with some experts claiming selling a likeness of Jobs is legal, and others claiming a sale could be blocked in some countries or jurisdictions. The Jobs action figure was selling for US $99, and there is quite a lot of other less realistic Jobs memorabilia on eBay.
Apple moves to ban Steve Jobs action figure
Do you remember the Steve Jobs action figure that was so life-like it was creepy? It appears the model may never see the light of day because of Apple's proactive legal team. According to a report in the Telegraph, Apple is threatening to sue InIcons, the company that created and marketed the figurine. Apple supposedly sent a letter to the company that said it's illegal to use a company's logo, a person's name or his or her likeness without consent. InIcons has been taking pre-orders for the action figure and expected to ship it sometime next month. InIcons hasn't said what it would do, but comments from InIcons' Tony Cheung suggest the company isn't going to step down. Cheung recently spoke to ABC News and said: "Apple can do anything they like. I will not stop, we already started production." Cheung also says his legal team advised him his figurine is in compliance with the law because it's not sold with any replica Apple products. As for Jobs' likeness? Cheung says Jobs is "not an actor, he's just a celebrity. There is no copyright protection for a normal person." He further argues that "Steve Jobs is not a product...so I don't think Apple has the copyright of him." InIcons is not the first company to create a Steve Jobs action figure. MIC Gadget produced a life-like action figure last year, but it was shut down by Apple's legal team. [Via MSNBC and ABC News]
