Apple is again protecting itself, as Wired News reports: E-Tailers Get Apple Nastygrams
Apple is ordering several online iPod accessory vendors to stop using the word “iPod” in their names or URLs. Apple has sent legal notices to accessory vendors everythingipod.co.uk and iPodlife. “I’m very nervous that this whole affair will hurt our business financially,” said Barry Mann, director of everythingipod.
In August, Apple threatened legal action against iPod Essentials, which changed its name to mp3Essentials and handed ownership of the iPodEssentials.co.uk domain name to Apple.
Apple has my sympathy for this, and it makes sense to protect consumers from rubbish products that might to the untutored eye look like an Apple creation. But a couple of things confuse me. First off, why does it take them so long to get around to warning these guys? Everythingipod.com as a domain was first registered in December 2001: It takes Apple lawyers four years to track them down? What were they using? Snow shoes?
The cynic might be forgiven for thinking that Apple waits for these accessory businesses to get successful and then dumps on them. After all, as Wired News points out, Apple has its own Made for iPod program, which requires manufacturers to comply with set standards, use certain manufacturers for some components and pay a percentage of wholesale earnings to Apple.
So, the cynic would argue, there’s no point in crushing these third party web sites until they’re up and running. Wait until they’re successful and then start milking them. After all, these third party vendors and manufacturers are useful since they enhance the product, encourage retailers to give over more space to the whole iPod thing, and keep users interested. I’m sure there’s no truth to such a cynical view but it does leave some questions unanswered.
For instance: You might argue it’s hard for Apple to keep tabs on these third party websites. But I find that hard to believe. One short DNS search throws up literally hundreds of websites registered with ipod somewhere in the name, many of them more than a year old. (Just out of interest, what is planned at www.ipod-dating.com and http://www.ipod-porn.co.uk/?) This is easy stuff to keep an eye on. Either Apple’s lawyers are not doing their job or else there’s something else afoot here.