Did you shudder when you first saw the incredibly realistic Steve Jobs action figure that's supposedly becoming available in February? You're not alone — if Apple's attempts to ban the toy are anything to go by.
The Telegraph reports that Apple is "allegedly threatening to sue" In Icons, the maker of the action figure.
This legal threat comes as no surprise considering that the the 1:6 scale figure — which was previously said to be slated for distribution by a company called DiD Corp. — isn't the first of its kind, nor the only one to face Apple's army of lawyers.
In late 2010, somewhat less realistic Steve Jobs action figures were sold through and by a website called M.I.C. Gadget. A law firm representing Apple quickly put an end to things when it requested that the company cease marketing and selling the action figure though.
Apple's lawyers claimed back then — as well as this time around — that the whole "wrangle is over the likeness of the doll to the late Apple founder, the rights of which the company claims it owns," as the Telegraph's Amy Willis explains.
We'll have to wait and see if the threat of legal action will take yet another Steve Jobs action figure off the market, but — after reading the comments made by Tandy Cheung, the businessman behind In Icons, to ABC News — we're not so sure that this one will disappear without a fight:
"Apple can do anything they like," Cheung said. "I will not stop, we already started production."
[...]
While he said he was aware Apple had stopped other companies from making Steve Jobs dolls in the past, Cheung said he is "not sure" if his action figure will cause Apple to take legal action. But, Cheung said, he spoke with several lawyers in Hong Kong who told him he wasn't in violation as long as he doesn't include any Apple products with the figure.
Of course, Cheung made those remarks before Apple's lawyers stepped in. He may no longer be so confident about his assertion that "Steve Jobs is not an actor, he's just a celebrity," and that "[t]here is no copyright protection for a normal person."
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- Silly video makers turn serious to honor Steve Jobs
- Unofficial Steve Jobs action figure is so realistic it's creepy
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