3 ms·

I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. So my question to the fans of

I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. So my question to the fans of Apple, what is the limit? What would Apple have to do to turn you away from their platform?

itg 16y ago
I feel as if every little thing Apple does get reported/blogged about and you have all this faux-outrage and people trying to make stories where there aren't any. I don't know of any other company that get scrutinized so hard. I hardly think Apple gets a free pass when it comes to the tech community.
- megaman821 16y ago
  I am not saying the is any news conspiracy. Rather these stories do very little to dent Apple fanaticism. Unless all of these people own large portions of Apple stock, why are they so loyal to a company?
jasonlotito 16y ago
> I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. I'm confused. Are you saying MS and Adobe should be able to protect their trademark, or that they shouldn't?
- megaman821 16y ago
  That aren't "enforcing" their trademark in the courts where the attempt would probably be unsuccessful, they are just threating a guy with app store removable unless he does what they say. The trademark summary says 'Electronic hand-held game units other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor;'
  - jasonlotito 16y ago
    One trademark summary. Another: " Computers; computer hardware; computer displays; computer software; handheld mobile digital electronic devices used as a telephone, handheld computer, personal digital assistant, electronic organizer, and electronic notepad, and used to access the Internet, electronic mail, and other digital data" Serial Number: 85056807 - http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4010:ptg5c7.3.7 http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=401... Same source as the story: http://www.trademarkia.com/retina-85056807.html http://www.trademarkia.com/retina-85056807.html
  - tzs 16y ago
    I don't see why they would be unsuccessful in court. "Retina" is not a term normally associated with displays, so I see no problem with it as a trademark.
    - tesseract 16y ago
      But in this context it has nothing or very little to do with displays - just images. Does the trademark still apply? We almost certainly won't find out, since lawsuits are so expensive that Bonobo will presumably just acquiesce.
      - jasonlotito 16y ago
        You weren't aware of it, but it's been posted in other locations that another trademark for Retina by apple specifically covers software.
        tesseract 16y ago
        Ah, thanks.
DougBTX 16y ago
You've picked a bad article to make this point - if someone tried to re-brand OpenOffice as "MS Office" you can be sure that Microsoft would defend its trademarks, and you'd never see it on HN. But when Apple does the same, it is front page "news". Hardly a free pass.
- megaman821 16y ago
  No it would be more like MS sues every software product with the word Office or Windows in it. Which they don't as evidenced by the existence of OpenOffice. I am not trying to argue Microsoft is some white knight or anything else noble, just that Apple policies are worse but with better marketing.
  - wisty 16y ago
    I'm guessing that "Office" was already in use. "Word" certainly was (i.e. Word Perfect). So "OpenWord" would be probably be fine. On the other hand, don't try making an "OpenExcel" or an "OpenPowerpoint".
- pitdesi 16y ago
  That's a great example actually... it's Open OFFICE, competing with Microsoft OFFICE, and surprisingly AFAIK Microsoft did nothing to defend that. That being said, Apple isn't the only company going a bit overboard, as Facebook is making legal threats to LameBook, TeachBook, and PlaceBook
  - megaman821 16y ago
    That is partly my point, it is ridiculous no matter who is making the legal threats. The company making the threats should have no bearing on anything.

itg 16y ago

I feel as if every little thing Apple does get reported/blogged about and you have all this faux-outrage and people trying to make stories where there aren't any. I don't know of any other company that get scrutinized so hard. I hardly think Apple gets a free pass when it comes to the tech community.

megaman821 16y ago
I am not saying the is any news conspiracy. Rather these stories do very little to dent Apple fanaticism. Unless all of these people own large portions of Apple stock, why are they so loyal to a company?

jasonlotito 16y ago

> I feel if Microsoft or Adobe had the same policies as Apple they would be riots in the street, but Apple mostly gets a free pass. I'm confused. Are you saying MS and Adobe should be able to protect their trademark, or that they shouldn't?

megaman821 16y ago
That aren't "enforcing" their trademark in the courts where the attempt would probably be unsuccessful, they are just threating a guy with app store removable unless he does what they say. The trademark summary says 'Electronic hand-held game units other than those adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor;'
- jasonlotito 16y ago
  One trademark summary. Another: " Computers; computer hardware; computer displays; computer software; handheld mobile digital electronic devices used as a telephone, handheld computer, personal digital assistant, electronic organizer, and electronic notepad, and used to access the Internet, electronic mail, and other digital data" Serial Number: 85056807 - http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4010:ptg5c7.3.7 http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=401... Same source as the story: http://www.trademarkia.com/retina-85056807.html http://www.trademarkia.com/retina-85056807.html
- tzs 16y ago
  I don't see why they would be unsuccessful in court. "Retina" is not a term normally associated with displays, so I see no problem with it as a trademark.
  - tesseract 16y ago
    But in this context it has nothing or very little to do with displays - just images. Does the trademark still apply? We almost certainly won't find out, since lawsuits are so expensive that Bonobo will presumably just acquiesce.
    - jasonlotito 16y ago
      You weren't aware of it, but it's been posted in other locations that another trademark for Retina by apple specifically covers software.
      - tesseract 16y ago
        Ah, thanks.

DougBTX 16y ago

You've picked a bad article to make this point - if someone tried to re-brand OpenOffice as "MS Office" you can be sure that Microsoft would defend its trademarks, and you'd never see it on HN. But when Apple does the same, it is front page "news". Hardly a free pass.

megaman821 16y ago
No it would be more like MS sues every software product with the word Office or Windows in it. Which they don't as evidenced by the existence of OpenOffice. I am not trying to argue Microsoft is some white knight or anything else noble, just that Apple policies are worse but with better marketing.
- wisty 16y ago
  I'm guessing that "Office" was already in use. "Word" certainly was (i.e. Word Perfect). So "OpenWord" would be probably be fine. On the other hand, don't try making an "OpenExcel" or an "OpenPowerpoint".
pitdesi 16y ago
That's a great example actually... it's Open OFFICE, competing with Microsoft OFFICE, and surprisingly AFAIK Microsoft did nothing to defend that. That being said, Apple isn't the only company going a bit overboard, as Facebook is making legal threats to LameBook, TeachBook, and PlaceBook
- megaman821 16y ago
  That is partly my point, it is ridiculous no matter who is making the legal threats. The company making the threats should have no bearing on anything.