iPod is to mp3 player as iPhone is to touchscreen phone?

[anjinha]

Recently I've been working in a promotion for the LG Cookie, which is a more affordable touchscreen phone. This is just one one the similar situations I've come across:

Customer: How much does that iPhone cost?
Me: This is not an iPhone:
Customer: It isn't?
Me: No, it's the new LG Cookie
Customer: Yeah, I know, but it's an iPhone, it has a touchscreen...

So, what do you think? Is the iPhone becoming to touchscreen phones what the iPod is to mp3 players?

 

[dukebound85]

id say its definitly the benchmark for all touchscreen phones as it was the one that pretty much started all this craziness

 

[sd2009]

I believe one day that all portable music players will be called iPods, IPODS and I-PODS.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I believe one day that all portable music players will be called iPods, IPODS and I-PODS.

They already are.

iPod is already the de-facto "Kleenex" or "Band-Aid" of personal music players.

 

[sd2009]

They already are.

iPod is already the de-facto "Kleenex" or "Band-Aid" of personal music players.

I meant the actual product name will be ipod, and Apple won't be able to do anything about it.
Unless they do a good job of protecting the trademark of course, which on second thought they probably will. I remember once hearing that sued a guy for having an "ipod night" every friday at his bar where people brought other mp3 players.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I meant the actual product name will be ipod, and Apple won't be able to do anything about it.

Um... sue everyone who tries? That's why we have copyrights.

 

[alexbates]

I meant the actual product name will be ipod, and Apple won't be able to do anything about it.
Unless they do a good job of protecting the trademark of course, which on second thought they probably will. I remember once hearing that sued a guy for having an "ipod night" every friday at his bar where people brought other mp3 players.

I don't think Apple would allow anyone else to call their product the iPod. That would just cause another lawsuit.

 

[dukebound85]

I meant the actual product name will be ipod, and Apple won't be able to do anything about it.
Unless they do a good job of protecting the trademark of course, which on second thought they probably will. I remember once hearing that sued a guy for having an "ipod night" every friday at his bar where people brought other mp3 players.

tell me when that has ever happened for any other product

yea apple will not allow it....its trademarked

sorry thats just a very silly statement

 

[sd2009]

tell me when that has ever happened for any other product

yea apple will not allow it....its trademarked

sorry thats just a very silly statement

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark

thanks.

 

[anjinha]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark

thanks.

That is people calling general products after known brands. But those products aren't actually called that. Tissues aren't actually called kleenex, it's just people who call them that.

 

[sd2009]

That is people calling general products after known brands. But those products aren't actually called that.

If it becomes so generically used they could lose the trademark unless they protect it very well. I'm talking far in the future.

i.e. escalators, aspirin. they lost their trademark.

 

[dukebound85]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genericized_trademark

thanks.

well since wiki is the legal source of this world

putting that aside lol, you did read this right (if we take wikipedia to be correct).....

A trademark typically becomes "genericized" when the products or services with which it is associated have acquired substantial market dominance or mind share. The term is legally significant in that unless a company works sufficiently to prevent such broad use of its trademark, its intellectual property rights in the trademark may be lost.

Apple does protect their image. That much is evident

 

[sd2009]

well since wiki is the legal source of this world

putting that aside lol, you did read this right (if we take wikipedia to be correct).....

That's what I'm saying. Companies can lose trademarks if they become so generic. How many people have you heard call every mp3 player an ipod? I've lost count.
I'm not saying its going to happen, just that it's a possibility. Maybe even an inevetability. Some people don't even know what an MP3 player is but they know what an ipod is!

http://www.searstower.org/rkrause/brands.html

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

That's what I'm saying. Companies can lose trademarks if they become so generic. How many people have you heard call every mp3 player an ipod? I've lost count.
I'm not saying its going to happen, just that it's a possibility. Maybe even an inevetability. Some people don't even know what an MP3 player is but they know what an ipod is!

http://www.searstower.org/rkrause/brands.html

That will only happen if Apple doesn't fight to protect its trademark. If Apple lets any company use the "iPod" then they won't be able to keep a hold on their trademark. However if a company calls their product an "iPod" and Apple sues them, then Apple gains a stronger hold on their trademark.

Don't talk about a subject you don't know anything about.

 

[sd2009]

That will only happen if Apple doesn't fight to protect its trademark. If Apple lets any company use the "iPod" then they won't be able to keep a hold on their trademark. However if a company calls their product an "iPod" and Apple sues them, then Apple gains a stronger hold on their trademark.

Don't talk about a subject you don't know anything about.

If iPod becomes such a generic term in the future, a company could call their MP3 player an ipod and argue in court that its a generic term and they could rule in favor of the other company. Just a possibility...

 

[dukebound85]

That will only happen if Apple doesn't fight to protect its trademark. If Apple lets any company use the "iPod" then they won't be able to keep a hold on their trademark. However if a company calls their product an "iPod" and Apple sues them, then Apple gains a stronger hold on their trademark.

i think thats what he is trying to say....

Don't talk about a subject you don't know anything about.

was that really necessary?

he brought up a point i never considered so thanks sleeptodream!

however, i dont think it will happen as apple protects their name, at least they have been

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

If iPod becomes such a generic term in the future, a company could call their MP3 player an ipod and argue in court that its a generic term and they could rule in favor of the other company. Just a possibility...

No, it isn't. It can only become a generic term if Apple lets companies slide and use their trademark. It doesn't become generic because of a colloquialism.

 

[sd2009]

No, it isn't. It can only become a generic term if Apple lets companies slide and use their trademark. It doesn't become generic because of a colloquialism.

If in 10-20 years everybody called every mp3 player an "ipod" and companies started calling them ipods...

An Austrian company was manufacturing "walkmans" and were taken to court by Sony. The judge ruled in favour of the Austrian company because "walkman" had become a generic term. So Sony lost the trademark in Austria.