Brett Gian asked:


I go through a online news and found a great story controversy between Cisco and Apple. The magazine has describe very clearly and cleverly their antagonist in the easy he explain as:

This just in: Cisco IS suing Apple over unauthorized use of the iPhone trademark.

“”Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco’s iPhone name,” Mark Chandler, senior vice president and general counsel at Cisco, said in a statement. “There is no doubt that Apple’s new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission.”

Cisco is seeking injunctive relief to prevent Apple from copying Cisco’s iPhone trademark, the company said.”

Perhaps the lawyers were all too busy trying to keep Steve’s nose clean over the options backdating business – which, despite Apple’s internal inquiry saying there’s nothing to worry about, is still something to worry about. Apple’s internal board don’t get to make the decision whether to take the matter further: that’s up to the Feds, who have yet to break cover.

In other signs that Apple iPhone’s launch may have been perhaps just that wee bit premature, Intel has first confirmed then denied that it was supplying the silicon inside Apple iPhone. “Did we say the phone? Sorry, we meant the tally”, Intel Germany said. Which is good, as it gives me a chance to beat Mike Magee to starting the “It’s an AMD Geode!” rumor.

This isn’t the first time Apple’s had trademark trauma. Apart from the whole Apple vs. Apple business — and did Apple Inc have permission to use that Sgt Pepper cover during the keynote? — The company had to rapidly rename Rendezvous as Open Talk in 2004.
Quick update: check out the PDF of Cisco’s court filing. Astonishing tales of shell companies set up to file odd trademark registration requests from Trinidad and Tobago – and nothing that quite ties in with Cisco’s statement yesterday that the agreement was all in place bar the final paperwork.