gPod trademark dispute

A small Japanese firm is facing potential legal action from Apple in response to the controversial naming of one of its products, according to a report today by Mainichi Daily News. Osaka-based businessman Ichiro Kameda says he has been repeatedly contacted by Apple legal representatives who have asked him to change the name of his as yet unavailable gPod female sex aid, citing the clear similarity of its naming scheme to that of the American company's iPod music player. The aid's trademark was previously approved by Japanese authorities in October of 2005, and was expected to stand until Kameda applied for a worldwide trademark -- which drew the attention of Apple's legal department. Despite warnings from Apple that he will be "forced to take all sorts of legal measures" should he release the product, Kameda insists that he will ship the gPod by the end of November.

Apple itself has so far declined to make any statements regarding the situation. "It's company policy not to comment on legal cases," an Apple spokesman told Mainichi. The iPod-maker is already engaged in numerous trademark disputes with companies in the U.S. and abroad that have offered similarly-named products which are not directly related to the iPod itself.

by MacNN Staff