The podcasting community would like Apple to clarify its intentions with respect to concerns it may be attempting to take the term “podcast” as part of its iPod trademark. Many of us believe this is inappropriate and potentially harmful to the podcasting community. iPods are certainly not required to play podcasts and iTunes is not the first or only available software for receiving podcast enclosures. Further, the ongoing inaccessibility of Apple’s iTunes player on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms means that any attempts on Apple’s part to close the ability to receive “podcasts” to alternative software could spell unmitigated disaster for blind listeners. I have signed, and urge everyone to do likewise, the ‘Podcast’ is NOT Apple’s Trademark online petition asking Apple to stop sending cease and desist letters to podcasting related companies and explain the company’s intentions toward the podcasting community.
I’m not sure what right Apple has to trademark the phrase ‘podcast’ when it was coined, not by them, but by Ben Hammersley in an article in the Guardian on February 12, 2004 (http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,16376,1683937,00.html).
I’ll definitely be adding my name to the petition!
Graeme Attkins
http://blog.frecosse.com