Apple COO: “We Will Not Stand for Having Our IP Ripped Off”
by John Paczkowski
Posted on January 21, 2009 at 3:20 PM PT
An interesting tidbit from Apple’s first-quarter earnings call just now. Asked for his company’s view on new iPhone rivals like the Palm (PALM) Pre and handsets running Google’s (GOOG) Android OS, Apple (AAPL) COO Tim Cook answered with a bit of considered saber rattling. “We are watching the landscape,” he said. “We like competition, as long as they don’t rip off our IP, and if they do, we’re going to go after anybody that does … I don’t want to talk about any specific company. I’m just making a general statement that we think competition is good; it makes it us all better. And we’re ready to suit up and go against anyone. However, we will not stand for having our IP ripped off and we’ll use whatever weapons we have at our disposal [to make sure that doesn't happen]. I don’t know that I can be more clear than that.”
Quite a remark, and one that sounds like it had quite a bit of heat behind it. Worth noting, coming as it does after the debut of the Pre, which some critics claim boasts more than a handful of Apple-esque design flourishes. Understandable, perhaps, since Palm’s executive chairman is Jon Rubinstein, the former Apple executive who was behind the iPod.
Comments
“We will not stand for having our IP ripped off”
Apple doesn’t want its IP ripped off, but it has no problem ripping off the IP of other companies. We are a small 30-person company and met with them to discuss a patent license. After a 15 minute meeting (most licensing meetings are 2-4 hours long), they got up, said “Sue us”, and had us escorted out. So we sued them.
Posted by Cory Houston at January 21st, 2009 at 10:03 pmThis will only bring more attention to the Palm Pre and make Apple look bad.
Posted by Miles long at January 22nd, 2009 at 8:07 amI understand patents provide motivation for innovation, but this is exactly why I hate tech patents. As a consumer on Sprint network…I cannot wait for the Pre…Apple delaying the launch or killing it would be an act of war. I think they should weigh the importance of particular patents with the PR damage suing could bring. If they get to big an greedy, Apple could cross over and turn into a Google. Prove the iPhone is better by using the technology to create something better…not limiting consumer choice.
Posted by Dominic Pannone at January 22nd, 2009 at 11:19 amtim ignores apple’s start: in the late 1970s it steve jobs and steve wozniak ripped off xerox parc for several apple products:
Posted by Sam Harrison at January 22nd, 2009 at 12:42 pm1) mouse
2) windows
3) hypertext
4) networking