Apple Legal Makes Little Girl Cry

[Colonel]

I wrote a letter to Steve as well, but I never got a response. I didn't cry about it, but I was dissapointed that I never heard back. I think Apple just shouldn't have said anything to the girl's letter. If they weren't going to use her idea, they should have ignored it instead of sending a nasty mail back.

[Nightwing]

lol The little girl should send a letter to Bill Gates now just to make sure he's aware of this whole situation in great detail and have her folks help her set things up so that she looks like a victum, etc. Microsoft currently is in the midst of a court law suit with Apple over iPod and has been since right after the first debut of it.

 

Why? Simple. Think Simple.

 

Someone f***ed up good!! Some dumb ass screwed up real good and forgot to register the patent for iPod for Apple, and the guys over at Microsoft realized this and scooped up the patent right out from under Apple's asses and has been suing them ever since, and now EVERY SINGLE iPod sold, Apple has to pay royalties to Microsoft until the court case is settled. lol.

 

Can someone say it now... "OOPS!"

[Pantalaimon]

What would be cool is if the kid decided to make a product like the ipod but has lyrics and any other ideas she has, and sold a million of them.

She could call it the iToldu.

 

lol xD

 

who cares about a nine-years old girl crying?

now i will take away a candy from her she will start crying and i'm gonna be on tv??? o.o

 

i dont think so

 

i yell a nine-year old girl on street some "bad words" se starts cring and i'm gonna be on tv??? o.o

 

i dont think so

[Pippin]

http://www.apple.com/legal/policies/ideas.html

[Colonel]

[rant]

Everyday I'm hating Apple more and more. I think I'm going to be a switcher. Switch from Apple to Dell. Everything that I have ever bought from Apple has died in someway or another. My iMac broke, my iBook has a failed Logic Board. The only thing that has lasted is my Hackintosh. I'm going to get my money back from PowerMax and buy myself a new Dell. I'm sick of Apple.

[/rant]

[pianoman]

Yes... mean corporate America strikes again! How dare they! How dare they try and cover their ass! I mean, what is wrong with Apple Computer?! How could they refuse an idea sent to them? They're Sooooo Arrogant! </sarcasm> From their policy page linked a few messages up:

 

The sole purpose of this policy is to avoid potential misunderstandings or disputes when Apple's products or marketing strategies might seem similar to ideas submitted to Apple. So, please do not send your unsolicited ideas to Apple or anyone at Apple. If, despite our request that you not send us your ideas, you still send them, then regardless of what your letter says, the following terms shall apply to your idea submission.

 

TERMS OF IDEA SUBMISSION

You agree that: (1) your ideas will automatically become the property of Apple, without compensation to you, and (2) Apple can use the ideas for any purpose and in any way, even give them to others.

 

This is nothing more than Apple protecting themself from frivilous lawsuits. Imagine this was not a nine year old... Imagine it was a grown man who spent a significant amount of time dreaming up... oh I don't know ... for the sake of argument let's say a magnetic latching system -- as in the new MacBook. He submits it to Apple, unsolicited with a message saying "this would be so cool. Look into it" and gives nice juicy detailed diagrams. So, Apple, agreeing, takes this advice to heart, markets and releases the product. Guess what. WHAM! Apple Computer I would like to now sue you for using my intellectual property without explicit consent. If you are to use my design I require compensation. Would this pass in court? Probably not. Would it still cost Apple money in attorney's fees. Absolutely.

 

While the letter was harsh, how was Apple to know it was a nine year old despite it's hand-written nature. I know if my mother is going to write a letter, she'll do it by hand because it's "more personal." I don't want to be an apologist here, but faulting Apple for covering their own ass is frivilous.

[Alessandro17]

[rant]

Everyday I'm hating Apple more and more. I think I'm going to be a switcher. Switch from Apple to Dell. Everything that I have ever bought from Apple has died in someway or another. My iMac broke, my iBook has a failed Logic Board. The only thing that has lasted is my Hackintosh. I'm going to get my money back from PowerMax and buy myself a new Dell. I'm sick of Apple.

[/rant]

 

That is why I am building a Hackintosh which will happily run Windows, Linux and every other OS ever created for x86.

[Straylight]

I agree with Pianoman,

 

Especially considering the state Apple is in as of today with its lawsuit with CREATIVE. Apple is protectiing itself from frivolous lawsuits. ITs nice that they called and apoligised for the incident, I know grown ups who have broken out in tears in the face of corporate lawyers, there no shame in that.

 

Maybe Apples POLICY on this is really a sign that our patent system needs an overhaul?

[Hapi]

I agree with Straylight!

I think part of it would be "what if her ideas were great". Can you imagine the copyright legal battle having a 9 Year old girl sueing apple? How much would that trash their reputation, a multimillion dollar company being sued for creative rights for the next big idea. Funny thing is that all the great ideas come from unusual places.