iPhone Name Battle Between Apple & Cisco Takes A Breather
“Apple and Cisco have agreed to extend the time for Apple to respond to the lawsuit to allow for discussions between the companies with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability.”
Can’t we all just get along?”
Cisco may of thought that it was just a little too hasty in suing Apple for the iPhone name. Cisco and Apple were working behind the scenes right up to Apple’s iPhone announcement, but could not solidify a deal. In pure Apple fashion, Steve Jobs, Apple’s eclectic CEO, ramped up the Dog’n’Pony show to full speed and showcased the iPhone as if Cisco never existed.
Apple’s sue and counter sue strategy didn’t work against Creative when they sued the fruit over iPod patent infringements. But Apple waited it out and when the magic $100 million payout number was negotiated, Apple settled. Cisco has much deeper pockets than the financially challenged Creative, so they can sue and counter-sue into the next millennium, but they want something more…
The Future: Cisco wants in on the Apple brand mojo. They’ve been trying for several years to develop a comprehensive rebranding strategy that would make the brand hip and cool, so they could extend their product lines into the consumer market. But nothing screams boring like a router. Thus, Cisco wants to partner with Apple on a mutual product(s), so they can bask in Apple’s glow. Apple certainly doesn’t need Cisco, and doesn’t want their stodgy brand giving them cement shoes. But is there potential here for VOIP or on-demand, streaming multimedia content delivery or a set top box?
