Man and Machine Wins 'Mighty Mouse' Trademark
Man and Machine has won the trademark for 'Mighty Mouse' ending a long, drawn out trademark suit-triangle that involved Man and Machine, CBS and Apple.
Man and Machine makes water-resistant computer peripherals for hospitals and labs where moisture is unavoidable. The company also claims that its devices help keep infections at bay and the Mighty Mouse itself is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
This whole legal battle goes back ages so we'll refresh your memory a bit. Apple licensed the trademark from CBS, which owns trademarks associated with the cartoon character. However Man and Machine claimed that it owned the trademark when it came to mice and so, a suit was filed. CBS and Man and Machine apparently filed for a trademark relating to mice around the same time. Engadget reports that both applications were put on hold while Man and Machine sued the pants off of CBS and Apple and that once it was all sorted out, CBS abandoned its application in June of this year, leaving Man and Machine free to to resume its own registration.
The lesser-known company announced yesterday that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had awarded Man and Machine the trademark, meaning Apple will either have to drop the name or try and come to some kind of agreement with Man and Machine. Apple is said to be coming up with new mice and keyboards in the near future so all in all, it's probably pretty nice timing for a change-the-name-of-your-product-or-face-our-trademark-laden-wrath lawsuit.
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Interesting. I must say it's a nice change for Apple to be the one getting pwned for once
Apple attempts to sue a company that makes products for hospitals. See, Apple truly is bad for people.
Mice > Apples!!
Apple attempts to sue a company that makes products for hospitals. See, Apple truly is bad for people.
Sigh. Apple didn't sue anyone.
Rough break down of events:
- Apple legally licences the "Mighty Mouse" moniker from CBS because CBS owns the trademark for the Mighty Mouse cartoon.
- CBS and Man and Machine both file for the trademark relating to mice around the same time (CBS actually filed first but whatever).
- Man and Machine sues both CBS and Apple for trademark infringement claiming it filed first.
- Both filings were put on hold while the courts dealt with the lawsuit detailed above.
- As a result of the suit, CBS dropped its application in June.
- Man and Machine went ahead its application and was yesterday awarded the trademark for 'Might Mouse' in relation to computer peripherals.
Honestly, it's fun reading apple articles here on Toms because that's where you get the most biased company-hate xD
Btw, as a response to the biased hate, thanks Jane for writing the articles that you (and well, rest of toms) do. I enjoy reading, and also enjoy the comments (so thanks user base of toms too
)
Btw, as a response to the biased hate, thanks Jane for writing the articles that you (and well, rest of toms) do. I enjoy reading, and also enjoy the comments (so thanks user base of toms too )
A reader just thanked me for writing Apple news. This just in, Hell is freezing over.
Oh no, just wait for the flames, they'll be back soon.
Sure these mice are odd enough to fit into a hospital lab!
A reader just thanked me for writing Apple news. This just in, Hell is freezing over.
Make that two. Thank you, Jane!
Make that two. Thank you, Jane!
You guuuuys. You're ruining the common misconception that I actually work for Apple and am paid to write about their iProducts!
so name it iMouse like everything else Apple does...or maybe mousepod since Apple seems to own anything"pod".....
The dishwasher-safe Mighty Mouse would be good for applications outside of hospitals and labs, like school computer clusters. The mice and keyboards in those places get very nasty. I'm glad that you wrote an article about them. I'll be doing more research...
yes finally a white mighty mouse with TWO BUTTONS.
Hey Jane, don't blow our cover, apple might cut our pay!
Hospitals and labs are nothing. The dirtiest mice/keyboards/computers I've ever seen by far were at a cookie and cracker factory. Everything was coated inside and out with a brownish layer of flour, cinnamon, sugar, etc. Being able to just toss them into a sink or dishwasher would have made life a lot easier.
I wonder who has the trademark for the computer component 'Minnie Mouse'?
Jane, in the past I didn't mind Apple news (like this one since it's real news).
It was the bias, opinions, and app store play-by-play that was getting annoying. A few of your colleagues could learn something from reading this article.
Apple Joke:
What coincidental timing!
The basic Apple mouse already has four buttons on it. They are just very subtle, and left/right mouse sensitivity is turned off by default when you first turn a new computer on. This has been the case for several years.
Mice > Apples!!
Oranges > Apples.
I love oranges. Fuck apples.