This isn’t really a Disney story, nor officially a Pixar one, but it does concern Steve Jobs and some possibly rotten apples. USA TODAY has reported that Apple Computers and Apple Records (founded by The Beatles) are back in court again fighting the same old fight they have for over 25 years – logos and music.
While both companies use an apple as their respective trademark, the apples in question are not remotely similar. Yet that has not stopped Apple Records from demanding that the computer company remove their version from anything that has to do with music, namely ipod and itunes. Granted, Apple Computers did agree to a contract stating that they would refrain from such usage in a previous court settlement, but either they have found a loop-hole, forgotten their promise, or just don’t care anymore.
This is a tough fight to watch for me. On one hand we have Apple Computers, which through the glue that is Steve Jobs is suddenly as connected to Disney as any separate company could possibly be. On the other hand there are The Beatles, the one entity that I may care about as much as the mouse. Let’s face it, my boys have middle names of Lennon and Harrison, not Mickey and Donald.
It seems that in this case, The Beatles, or rather their record company, are reaching, over-reacting and asking for monetary damages in the excess of ridiculous. The world understands the difference between a Beatle and an ipod. Why can’t they figure it out? Let it go Ringo.
[ Tags: apple, steve+jobs, beatles, lawsuit, the+beatles, macintosh, ipod, apple+records ]