ProfitPod
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Apple pays woman to "de-Pod" her product
In a move that will be seen as gracious by some, extortionist by others, Apple has offered to pay a New Jersey woman an undisclosed sum to rebrand a laptop bag she sells so that it no longer includes the word "pod" -- but not before reminding her in a letter that she was in potential violation of the closely-guarded iPod trademark. Until recently, Medford Lakes resident Terry Wilson had been selling her protective case under the name "TightPod," which as we all learned from the ugly little Profit Pod incident, is dangerously diluting the brand significance of Apple's cash cow. Unlike the electronic Profit Pod, however -- which Apple referred to as "a small, flat, round corned rectangular device with a display screen" -- we can't see all that many people confusing a furry computer case with the world's most recognizable audio player. Still, you gotta do what you gotta do to proactively protect your brand, we suppose, so we're just waiting by the mailbox to receive a big fat check that will allow us to begin the long, painful process of rebirthing the Engadget Podcast as the Engadget Zencast.
No POD for you: Apple keeps close tabs on brand name
Sure, we're as sensitive to brand rights issues as the next guy, but it seems like Apple might be going a bit too far on this one. Apparently a small company named Mach 5 is stepping on their toes with a new "Profit Pod" device that can track arcade machines for money put in and tickets spat out, and then wirelessly transmit the information to a PDA or notebook computer. It sounds like a boon for arcade owners, who won't have to manually inspect each machine, but Apple seems to think differently. "We believe there is confusing similarity between Apple's IPOD mark and the PROFIT POD mark," says a recent letter from Apple legal to Mach 5. They go on to say: "we must ask that Mach 5 Products immediately abandon the pending application for PROFIT POD, agree to cease all use of the PROFIT POD." Apple seems to think the word "Pod," plus the similar functionality of transmitting data to a computer, use with video games, and the fact that, in their words, "the PROFIT POD product is a small, flat, round corned rectangular device with a display screen," (see picture above), make the Profit Pod a threat to that nifty brand name of theirs.`We wouldn't call it an iPod killer per se, but maybe these Mach 5 folks are on to something.[Via Techdirt]
