Back in the 80s, Apple spent a lot of money suing Microsoft with a claim that Apple had copyright to the "look and feel" of an icon-based computer operating system -- even though they did not originate that idea. They lost. They now are making an even more improbable claim -- that they have the sole right to use silhouette images in advertising. They are suing a British vendor of "adult" products:
"High street adult retailer Ann Summers has landed itself in a heap of trouble with Apple. The retail chain has been promoting a sex toy called the iGasm, a device which connects to any music player and offers users an erotic vibrating treat in time to the beat.
A News of the World report claims Apple is furious about Ann Summer's promotion of the device, and is demanding all posters for the gadget be taken down, under threat of court action....
Apple is claiming the ad to be an abuse of the silhouette-based images it uses in its own advertising.
Source
I suppose it is slightly less absurd than the claim by chocolate manufacturer Cadbury that they own the color purple!
Maybe claims like this come out of the firms' advertising budgets -- on the grounds that there is no such thing as bad publicity. That may not be a big help, though. Back in the '90s Lotus failed in another "look and feel" lawsuit and who uses Lotus spreadsheets now? Microsoft Excel rules the roost there.
