View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/03/13/ipod.knockoff.at.cebit/
Sunday, Mar 13, 2005 11:10pm
Apple protests iPod knockof...
Apple and its lawyers were unsuccessful in getting Taiwanese manufacturer Luxpro to remove its Super Shuffle from the company's booth on the CeBIT show floor. Apple's lawyers were successfully able to convince the company to remove the device from the display on Friday, but Luxpro once again showcased the iPod knockoff on Saturday, according to heise online. Both Apple showfloor representatives and lawyers were ultimately unsuccessful in getting Luxpro to pull the Super Shuffle, which is almost visibly indistinguishable from Apple's iPod shuffle (slightly larger and offers more features).

"Urged by Apple's lawyers Luxpro had taken the player out of its show cases on Friday, only to put it back in again on Saturday for the benefit of the weekend visitors to the CeBIT event. Who, moreover, did seem to show an interest in the device: The player offers besides all functions present in the genuine iPod shuffle an FM tuner, a WMA (DRM) playing capability and voice recording . At that the iPod lookalike is only marginally thicker and according to statements by staff at the stand "in any case cheaper than the original."


The report also says that "even a visibly distraught Apple product manager was unable on the Saturday evening to persuade Luxpro´s stand manager to once again remove the Super shuffle from the display. The stand the visual appearance of which is strongly reminiscent of an Apple ad campaign provided a bizarre backdrop to the brief yet heated verbal encounter that ended without mutual agreement. Apple representatives said the company was in the process of weighing its legal options.