Apple Files First Lawsuit in Defense of Their “Made for iPod” Licensing

by Jody Mitoma on May 22, 2008 at 11:22 am

Apple Inc. claims that a trio of Atico’s products under the Living Solutions brand - including the AM/FM Portable Boom Box, AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio, and Portable Speakers - all conflict with several key patents obtained by the Cupertino California-based electronics giant between 2007 and 2008.

These include a patent for the Dock Connector used by most iPods to transfer data, as well as patents for the Universal Dock’s design, remote controls, and three dock adapters meant to fit different-sized iPods to a standard dock model.

Apple states that Atico has failed to license its use of the docking design for the speakers, depriving Apple of royalties it believes are owed to its “Made for iPod” program. According to AppleInsider, uses of the iPod trademark, as well as some superficially similar logos designed to indicate compatibility with different iPod models, are also “exploiting Apple’s name and reputation” and violating the federal Lanham Act by falsely suggesting an endorsement by Apple, according to the plaintiff.

AppleInsider states:

The Delaware-based court filing adds that Atico’s continued sales are depriving Apple of rightful income and asks for a permanent injunction against the sale of the offending Living Solutions speakers in addition to damages. The iPod maker sees this as an “exceptional case” that would allow it to collect not only triple damages but profits and court costs, including those for a requested jury trial.

Virtually all companies selling compatible accessories in the US have signed on to the program, with some arguing that the “Made for iPod” logo is effectively a sales booster: customers are more likely to buy add-ons when they know the items will work with their iPods.

All companies selling compatible accessories in the US have signed on to the program, some even going as far as to arguing that the “Made for iPod” logo is effectively boosting their sales, which I would probably have to agree with. If I saw a product with the official “Made for iPod” logo, I’d buy that product over another product that didn’t sport this logo anywhere on the box.

(Source: Apple Insider)