This article was in the Boston Globe's BUSINESS SECTION today....I know there are a number of manufacturers on this FORUM and I wonder if Apple's aggressive policies will have an impact on any of their products...
here is the short article:
By Bloomberg News | July 29, 2010
WASHINGTON — Apple Inc. has sued companies it says sell unauthorized electronic accessories such as chargers, speakers, and cables for the iPod music player, iPhone, and iPad tablet computer.
“Many are of inferior quality and reliability, raising significant concerns over compatibility with and damage to Apple’s products,’’ Apple said in its complaint.
Apple has a program under which manufacturers get a license to sell accessories for devices. Apple collects a royalty of 20 to 25 percent, said Shaw Wu, an analyst with Kaufman Bros. in San Francisco. “If you sell speakers for $100, Apple gets $20 to $25,’’ he said.
Apple said the unauthorized products are infringing on as many as 10 patents and violating its trademarks.
“They are trying to control all aspects of their devices,’’ said Mark Kesslen, at Lowenstein Sandler PC, a law firm in New York. “They are using the various licensing agreements, partner agreements, and brand management to make sure that it stays within their high standard.’’
Apple’s complaint, filed July 22 in federal court in San Francisco, identifies six sellers in California and one in Washington and said Apple could name as many as 20 additional companies.
Apple’s policies drew attention from the Library of Congress this week, when it said in a periodic review of copyright laws that users could “jailbreak’’ their iPhones to download applications not authorized by Apple.
“There is a very fine line’’ between maintaining control over its gadgets and anticompetitive behavior, Kesslen said.
In November, Apple sued a California company that it said was selling knockoff power adapters for the MacBook laptop computer. The company agreed to stop selling the products.
Apple sold 3.27 million iPads, 8.4 million iPhones, and 9.41 million iPods in the quarter ended June 26, the company said.
