Beatles take rival Apple to court over core business
By Liz Chong
IT IS the ultimate battle of the generations over an image of a half-eaten piece of fruit.In one corner Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the ultimate stars of vinyl who defined music in the 1960s. In the other, the creators of a small white box that has revolutionised the way we buy and listen to music.
This week the Apple Corps goes to the High Court seeking multimillion-pound damages against Apple Computer, the creators of the iPod, over their hugely successful iTunes Music Store.
Apple Corps, owned by the former Beatles and their heirs, still owns the licensing rights to Beatles’ products. It is claiming that the introduction of iTunes broke a $26 million settlement under which Apple Computer agreed to steer clear of the music business, for which the Beatles’ company retains the famous trademark. It is the latest clash in one of Britain’s longest-running corporate legal battles.
I have to say I’m interested to see if the last time they settled wouldn’t be used as pre-existing permission. (read the full article to fully understand the nuances). But it seems that Apple Computers has settled the last 2 times they’ve been sued by Apple Corps…. ie. the Beatles. It is ironic that Apple has to defend themselves for one of their core businesses. But I somehow don’t see it hurting them.
