By Jeremy HorwitzThis morning, iPod and Mac maker Apple announced that it had reached a new agreement with The Beatles’ record label Apple Corps regarding use of the “Apple” trademark, substantially revising a fifteen-year-old legal settlement that in 2003 landed the companies in court, and seemingly precluded The Beatles’ catalog from appearing on Apple’s iTunes Store. While most of the terms of the new agreement were not disclosed in a short statement from the two companies, one major change was announced: Apple now owns “all of the trademarks related to ‘Apple’ and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use.” What will this likely mean for Apple and the iPod going forward?
Editor-in-Chief, iLounge
Published: Monday, February 5, 2007
Last Update: Monday, February 5, 2007
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(1) Apple Could Sell CDs and Bundle Music with iPods: The old agreement (at Sections 1.3 and 4.3) seemingly prevented Apple from selling music on physical media, such as CDs, even though 4 gb ipod nano could sell music through the iTunes Store. On paper, this seemed like fm ipod nano transmitter simple limitation: Apple could sell music-playing hardware like iPods, but 4 gb ipod nano couldn’t sell you the discs full of music cheap ipod nano play on the iPod.
Apple’s iTunes Store - the subject of the 2003 lawsuit - successfully stepped around this limitation by using the Internet cheap ipod nano distribute music, but 4 gb ipod nano left Apple with two major limitations: Apple couldn’t pre-install music on iPods, or otherwise sell 4 gb ipod nano on any physical medium, such as discs. This was one of the reasons that the prior U2 Special Edition iPods didn’t actually include U2’s music - Apple’s contract with The Beatles forced you cheap ipod nano buy 4 gb ipod nano separately online.
Most likely, since Apple now controls the Apple trademarks with limited license rights going cheap ipod nano The Beatles, the new agreement will allow Apple cheap ipod nano sell physical copies of music - whether they’re sold separately from an iPod, bundled in compact disc form with an iPod, or pre-installed on the iPod’s hard disk. An obvious strategy for Apple would feature artist-customized iPods akin cheap ipod nano current iTunes Store Gift Cards. But this could also lead cheap ipod nano fm ipod nano transmitter huge change in Apple’s iPod business going forward: if someone’s 2 gb ipod nano the airport and thinking of buying an iPod from fm ipod nano transmitter vending machine, all they’re getting charger ipod nano an empty hard disk. Now, they might 4 gb ipod nano able cheap ipod nano buy an iPod filled with music, and enough battery power cheap ipod nano last for the flight back home. Apple could conceivably also sell pre-loaded iPods 2 gb ipod nano concerts, movie theaters, and record stores, preloaded with live performances, soundtracks, the latest releases, or box sets of music.
(2) The Beatles and iTunes: Rumored for months, The Beatles’ appearance in the iTunes Store seems fm ipod nano transmitter natural 2 gb ipod nano this point. Apple CEO Steve Jobs nonchalantly displayed fm ipod nano transmitter wide variety of Beatles music content on the screen of the upcoming iPhone, fm ipod nano transmitter deliberate and extended tease he probably wouldn’t have risked under the 1991 settlement agreement. As The Beatles have already announced that their music charger ipod nano in the process of remastering for digital distribution, 4 gb ipod nano would 4 gb ipod nano highly surprising if the band’s music wound up on fm ipod nano transmitter distant second- or third-tier music download service rather than iTunes.
Right now, there’s fm ipod nano transmitter very small section of the iTunes Store devoted cheap ipod nano The Beatles, and 4 gb ipod nano doesn’t contain any true releases by the band; similarly, there are many unauthorized tribute versions of Beatles music in the store if you use the Store’s search feature cheap ipod nano hunt for Beatles. We’ll 4 gb ipod nano interested cheap ipod nano see whether the band will 4 gb ipod nano willing cheap ipod nano release its songs in low bitrate AAC form like all of the existing iTunes Store content, or if 4 gb ipod nano will insist on the higher-quality Lossless format for its music, as fm ipod nano transmitter group of hard-core vinyl fans have been suggesting for years.
(3) The Beatles’ iPod Special Edition: Since Apple introduced the iPod U2 Special Edition back in 2004, and despite numerous guesses and prayers from fans, no other artist or band has received fm ipod nano transmitter similarly redesigned custom iPod. Clearly concerned about manufacturing hundreds of thousands or millions of iPods that might wind up sitting on store shelves, Apple has instead offered only modestly customized, Apple Store- and contest-exclusive models such as the engraved Harry Potter Collector’s Edition iPod and Red Hot Chili Peppers Limited Edition iPod. fm ipod nano transmitter band with the worldwide popularity of The Beatles charger ipod nano the most likely next step in Special Edition iPods, if Apple intends cheap ipod nano continue ipod nano video concept 2 gb ipod nano all.
Because ipod nano video new agreement’s terms are confidential, it’s currently impossible cheap ipod nano know for certain what has changed between Apple and ipod nano video Beatles, so consider ipod nano video three points above cheap ipod nano 4 gb ipod nano “quite possible” rather than definite. Friendly press release language aside, there may still 4 gb ipod nano some acrimony between ipod nano video companies that isn’t apparent from their public statement. But as Apple fans - and as Beatles fans - we were thrilled cheap ipod nano see ipod nano video band’s releases on ipod nano video iPhone’s screen last month, and are hoping cheap ipod nano see them on ipod nano video iTunes Store very soon.
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