As is now part of computer-lore, Apple Computers were called so because of the founders loves of the Beatles and their record label, Apple Corps.
Then money got involved and the love started to fade.
Back in 1981 Apple Corps and Apple Computers came to a legal agreement over the use of the Apple trademark, but this was on the condition that Apple Computers didn’t enter the music business.
It all got a bit heated back in 1989 when both parties must have spent a fortune on a case that dragged out over two years at London’s High Court. The precise details of the settlement weren’t made public, but money was have though to have passed to the record label from the computer company.
Latterly Apple Corps, with some justification, felt that Apple Computers had now entered the music business, through their iPod players and iTunes music store, so they brought legal action again.
Today we got judgement. The Judge of the case, Mr Justice Edward Mann, came done on the side of Apple Computers saying that they used the Apple logo in connection with their iTunes stores not the music, so there had been no breach.
Slightly confused? The Judge said that the Apple logo isn’t ever directly tied to specific music titles or artists. The judge agreed, and noted that the Apple logo was integrated into the store, not the music sold.
The more sharp-eyed among you will have noticed that iTunes doesn’t have a great deal of Apple branding on it (but it does have the bitten-Apple logo), perhaps for the very reason of the chance of legal action. Following this verdict, it will be interesting to see how or if this changes.
What drove the legal action?
We’ve been wondering what the driver for this was this action down to macho pride or an attempt at financial gain?
OK, there has been a history of Apple computers and Apple Corp with their logo, but don’t the Beatles have enough money already – I mean they’re swimming in the stuff aren’t they?
Please tell me something funny
What can we tell you that’s a bit fun about this story which is frankly pretty dry? Geoffrey Vos QC who represented Apple Corps, downloaded Chic’s Le Freak (1978 version) when demoing iTunes to the courtroom
(Please let there not be another legal battle between these two again, I’m really bored in having to type out Apple Corp and Apple Computers)
Actually the beatles did make a good salary as the founders of modern rock and roll, but their true monetary gain was in the rights to their music, which Michael Jackson bought after he spoke with Sir Paul on the video set of “Say, Say, Say” in which Paul mentioned his intentions to but the rights from the record label that swindled them fromt he group when they broke out. Jackson hearing this decided to out-bud Sir Paul for the rights, and the remaining beatles get a percentage of what they are entitled to from their music, so to put the facts straight, they are rich, but not as rich as this article states.