ipood

One of the reasons I can't stand Apple inc, is because of its apparent lengths it takes to sue. Sue over names or images or patents which may remotely look like thiers.

The latest I've spotted is the 'Ipood' from Sea to Summit.

From the Sydney Morning Herald.

General manager Rob McSporran said the company dubbed the trowel "iPood!" and registered it as a trademark in Australia in October 2006.
"We identified that there was a hole in the market for a sturdy poo trowel. Many cheap ones on the market are plastic and break easily and people end up leaving bits of plastic all over the place," Mr McSporran said.

"The purpose of the product is to help people be responsible, to educate people, but talking about burying your poo tends to turn people off so we had a bit of fun [with the name]."

It had been on the market for seven months before Apple's lawyers swooped, asking Sea to Summit to cancel its Australian trademark registration, withdraw applications in the US and China, and change the product name once the stock ran out....

...Mr McSporran said the company, which has 40 employees and was established 20 years ago, decided to abide by the request because they didn't have the resources to fight it.

"We have changed the name to Pocket Trowel, which is a bit boring," he said.

This story also annoys me because of the legal issues. Sea to Summit could legitimately use the 'ipood' name but chose not to fight because of going against a company with resource beyond all but a few Australian companies.
I just don't  think the legal system should be about the biggest kid on the block winning.