Apple to trademark "podcast"

MAKER of entertainment gear Apple has decided to issue cease and desist notices to all those who use the word podcast on their web sites.

According to Steve Jobs, Podcast is an Apple trademark and users will have to either pay up or face the music.

While many Apple fans will willingly hand over cash to Steve if he asks them, the move is likely to angry thousands of bog writers, who probably have never used an ipod in their lives.

According to Bit-tech, the first wave of letters has gone out to high profile outfits including places like "Podcast Ready".

Fortunately Steve has been unsuccessful in getting the courts to accept that it owns the sole rights to the 'pod' related words. US Patent and Trademark Office has ruled that the word ipodcast did not belong to Apple to stop Steve taking people to the cleaners.

Of course Apple has huge numbers of lawyers and cash on its side to prosecute those who use the word podcast. So it will make it a David and Goliath battle for all those who try to fight off Jobs' Mob. This is remarkably similar to the legal antics of Intel and Microsoft over their various trademarks, which were so mocked by Apple supporters.

More here. µ

See Also
Spods sued by Apple over spods