Apple Warns Group of Whales From Calling Themselves Pod (Almost)

Now that I got your attention what Apple is doing is almost as bizarre as the title. Apple has sent “cease-and-desist” letters to makers of unrelated electronic devices containing the word “pod”. Two companies have been asked to remove the word from their products. They don’t manufacture MP3 players.

Profit Pod is a device that compiles data from vending machines, while TightPod manufactures slip-on covers designed to protect electronic products such as laptops and MP3 players. Link

The funny part is Dave Ellison, owner, Mach5Products, said that they have received the cease-and-desist letter from Apple just after receiving trademark recognition for the name in USA.

A group of whale is known as pod and so is the dryish fruit of some plants which contains one to many seeds and usually flattened. Now will Apple send cease-and-desist letters to them too? This is plain ridiculous.

Sometimes I think it is for the better Apple couldn’t beat Microsoft and remains playing second fiddle as ever. They might have been much more dangerous than Microsoft, if they had the opportunity.

BTW: POD is also the Point of Deployment Module which is a standardized hardware decryption security device the size of a credit card that plugs into a compatible slot in many new set-top boxes. It is also print-on-demand. Can’t the geniuses of Apple choose a less common name?