It's debut day for Apple's latest rendition of their OS X, which they call "Tiger". So, what would a major product release be without a lawsuit?
Tiger Direct has sued Apple, seeking an injunction against Apple's use of the name "Tiger", which they say they have trademarked. It's a last minute ploy and I'll wager that's by intent; an attempt to do as much damage to the launch as possible. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but it's not like we haven't known of this name for a long time. TD had plenty of time to approach Apple about it before launch date.
Jack
Boy, that was exactly my thought. Tiger Direct timed this to give their suit the highest profile AND at the point that Apple had little chance of being able to turn back. The neat thing is that most judges have some common sense and there is something called mitigation of damages (IANAL). If Tiger Direct had done this early on when they first discovered the OS X name, they would have a better case, but much less PR. Of course early on, Apple could have simply called it something else. That's if Tiger Direct even has a real case. Remember Apple Computers and Apple Records? Tiger Direct is a store, Tiger OS X is an operating system. I think we idiot consumers really can tell them apart.
ReplyDelete