According to TUAW, Apple has issued a cease-and-desist to a company named Pivotal, telling them to take "pod" out of the name of their product, the Podium. The Podium is a hands-free iPhone 3G stand, specifically designed for Apple"s products, so it"s strange to see the Cupertino-based company go after those making accessories for their products. TUAW has been provided with an excerpt from the letter, which you can read below:
"The term POD has also been adopted and used extensively in the marketplace by consumers as an abbreviation to refer to Apple"s IPOD player. The IPOD and POD marks indicate to consumers that a broad range of products, including portable electronic devices, computer software, and related goods and services bearing those marks and marks similar thereto originate from or are sponsored or endorsed by Apple."
Scott Baumann, who is the President of Pivotal, has said, "If you look at our product and then look up the word Podium in the dictionary, I think it becomes pretty clear where our branding inspiration came from." Apparently, Pivotal are also infringing on "Apple"s trademark because the stand mimics recent iMac models and that Pivotal"s site for the product is also ripping off Apple"s brand stylization." Pivotal will be seeking legal advice on this. Personally, I don"t think it"s very acceptable to disallow a company to use the word "pod" in their product, as it"s not a registered trademark, nor does it really relate to the name "iPod", either. Feel free to comment your thoughts on this below.