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December 30, 2006 | Comments: (0)
Apple in 2007 = More lawsuits than products?
Even though Matt is really the legal expert in our dyad, I couldn't help but notice that Apple is up to it's ears in lawsuits. Of course, this is fairly common when companies have very successful products--in fact one could argue that Apple's dominance in digital music is as much a monopoly as Microsoft's OS market share.
Legal issues in descending order of effect on Apple long-term:
4. iBook G4 Logic Board Failures
Easily remedied with replacement parts, though a larger question around product quality remains.
3. iPod/Nike Patent Infringement
My guess is this will go away fairly quickly either through a payment or simple litigation. There isn't enough economic incentive to fight this through anyway.
2. iTunes Copyright Protection
This is likely to remain an annoyance, but the right answer is that you don't have buy an iPod or buy from iTunes. Let the buyer beware.
1. Options Scandal
This is not the first company to be caught backdating and it's unlikely to be the last. The fact that Apple is exonerating Steve Jobs from the options imbroglio is laughable. Not that anyone wants Steve Jobs out of the company, but if he is not held accountable for questionable business practices then he shouldn't be CEO.
Options scandals very rarely have happy endings. Falsifying documents make things even worse.
Posted by Dave Rosenberg on December 30, 2006 10:00 AM
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Get real. Lots of companies get these Mickey Mouse lawsuits from lifes dumbest failures. At the same time, 99% of them get flushed down the toilet along with their plaintiffs. I simply don't understand why sites like this one insists on writing up what's nothing more than FUD. Attention perhaps? Move along people...
Posted by: Jarod at December 31, 2006 05:05 AMAre you bored? The Options thing has been resolved, the patent thing is typical nowadays and the iBook thing is just one or two disgruntaled consumers probably trying to weasel out a new iBook from Apple.
For a 20 billion company, these issues are rather on the trival side.
Posted by: lrd at December 31, 2006 08:02 AMyes, I am bored. The options thing is hardly over though. These things take forever...
Posted by: Dave Rosenberg at December 31, 2006 08:36 AM"in fact one could argue that Apple's dominance in digital music is as much a monopoly as Microsoft's OS market share."
But one would be an idiot if one argued that.
Posted by: Eric Jones at December 31, 2006 02:59 PM
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