Apple's rumored iTV rebranding makes UK broadcaster 'furious'

135678

Comments

  • Reply 41 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    So you wouldn't mind if someone posted a rumor over the internet that your sister was a whore and you are an only child?



    The point being... who are you going to sue?



    Apple??!! For someone else's rumor??!!
  • Reply 42 of 149
    nkhmnkhm Posts: 928member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by seanie248 View Post


    No, this is a news & reviews based website. Rumours get printed as well, but the website is not based on it. Have a look at the home page and count how many stories are rumours and not fact/reviews.



    Fine to discuss a rumour, the reactions of some are just nuts, most especially the ITV heads being furious and commenting on the iphone 4 issue. Very unprofessional at that level. They should know better and confirm before opening their mouth.



    The users of this site, all posts here are simply discussing the rumour and "what if", don't mistake the quote from a trash 'news' paper as input from site users... But it is a news story involving apple which is pertinent (hopefully) to the next big Apple event.
  • Reply 43 of 149
    nkhmnkhm Posts: 928member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TomHicks View Post


    This has all been taken a bit too seriously, I think. Quite often I see rumours written about that were in various American publications, and I wonder how reputable they are, etc. Now that there is a case of a British newspaper getting involved, I can balance my views on the subject more easily.



    The Mirror is an uber-tabloid. A quick look at their website today shows that their top stories are something about some X-Factor contestant, something about Jedward, and some paparazzi pictures of female celebrities in unflattering poses.



    More than likely, the "source" quoted in the article is "Keith on the desk next to me."



    So, we have a rumour that the AppleTV will be renamed to the iTV. Then we have a not-very-reputable newspaper quoting a (probably) spurious "source" talking about something totally unconfirmed. So, if either the iTV rumour is wrong, or the source isn't a real source after all, the whole thing turns out to be nothing more than nothing.



    What's worse is that people here have already started taking sides in some dispute which in all probability doesn't exist.



    I don't think anyone is taking this seriously, we've all just been discussing the "what if". I don't see anyone taking sides...
  • Reply 44 of 149
    irnchrizirnchriz Posts: 1,617member
    I think they should get to use iTV seeing as it has the potential to be something good unlike ITV hwich is a pile of shit TV channel. Every 2 mins theres some stupid quiz along the lines of: During tonights episode of blah, johns name was?

    A) John

    B) Sonja

    c) Mr Ed



    Call 090 xxx xxxxxx Calls cos £1.50 for the gullible and stupid etc



    ITV are becoming worse than channel 5.



    ITV in the UK is basically TV for the Sun and Mirror readers. You have Coronation Street for the oldies and POP celebrity idol get me out of here crap for the complete braindead. But as Rob55 says, they basically have the rights to the name and as the Apple tv is a tv program and movie product (pretty much what is on ITV) they will be unlikely to get to use the name anyway.
  • Reply 45 of 149
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by irnchriz View Post


    I think they should get to use iTV seeing as it has the potential to be something good unlike ITV hwich is a pile of shit TV channel. Every 2 mins theres some stupid quiz along the lines of: During tonights episode of blah, johns name was?

    A) John

    B) Sonja

    c) Mr Ed



    Call 090 xxx xxxxxx Calls cos £1.50 for the gullible and stupid etc



    ITV are becoming worse than channel 5.



    Regardless of the quality of their programming, if ITV have a legitimate claim to the trademark, then that is all that matters, hypothetically speaking of course.
  • Reply 46 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson View Post


    Just because they're crap doesn't mean someone can just nick their name. Plus, the two shows you mention have been hugely commercially successful.



    I ask everyone here, what would your opinion be if it were Microsoft trying to infringe on someone elses brand?



    i agree. apple would be gnashing their teeth and unleashing the law hordes (like they have done many times before) if this was reversed....
  • Reply 47 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


    Unfortunately, ITV already offer a free streaming service in the UK, much as BBC iPlayer and 4OD - free of charge streaming content is already a reality in the UK, and charging for it is going to prove difficult!



    i'm talking about licensing the "itv" name, not their content. Just like iPhone is licensed from Cisco.
  • Reply 48 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Onhka View Post


    But is it registered, i.e., accompanied with the universally recognized, ® or TM symbol? Or even copyrighted, i.e., with the © symbol?





    Yes...and there are hardware companies with the iTV brand registered. Like Monster Cable.



    http://tess2.uspto.gov/
  • Reply 49 of 149
    I have got to assume if Apple wants iTV they will eventually get it. This might just be posturing from iTV just to let Apple know it is going to take piles of cash for them to agree to share the name. Of course this is all based off rumor so who knows.



    I agree with others, Apple TV is a fine name. And if Apple wants "i" on this product just name it something esle. iHDTV, iTube, iZone, iStream, iReality, iClick, iBox, iStation I am really tired of the Apple "i" naming convention but that is their new product branding.
  • Reply 50 of 149
    OMG YOU GUYS!!! THIS IS ALMOST NEWS!!!!!







    Where were these guys years ago when it was first announced???
  • Reply 51 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hezetation View Post


    Just curious, are they competing well with the BBC? I'd never heard of iTV before, my understanding is that Apple originally stayed away from the name because of the eyeTV and possible confusion there.



    At the moment they are not doing enormously well vs. the BBC. The funding arrangements in the UK are as you possibly know, weird. BBC is funded through the licence fee (effectively a TV tax), whereas ITV are purely paid for by advertising (and selling their concepts and shows abroad).



    This means that in the current climate, when advertising budgets have been slashed, ITV is really struggling for revenue, whilst the BBC's funding remains steady.



    In terms of shows, ITV do OK but not great. They have come to rely quite heavily on reality TV, but given that is what people seem to watch at the moment, you can't blame them for that - they have to chase viewing figures to attract advertising revenue (like it or not, we're to blame for the crap that's on TV because we watch it).



    Where I think things are falling down somewhat in the UK market at the moment is the BBC have decided to chase viewing figures as well. The way it should work is the BBC is a pubic service broadcaster, so should be making shows of real artistic value, which in some cases they do, their nature shows really are world class because they can afford to take risks with new filming techniques, leaving ITV and Sky to chase the ratings and hence the advertising. Unfortunately as the BBC have become increasingly interested in ratings, they take the populist market away from ITV and hence the funding goes away for ITV.
  • Reply 52 of 149
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by applebjesus View Post


    I have got to assume if Apple wants iTV they will eventually get it. This might just be posturing from iTV just to let Apple know it is going to take piles of cash for them to agree to share the name. Of course this is all based off rumor so who knows.



    I agree with others, Apple TV is a fine name. And if Apple wants "i" on this product just name it something esle. iHDTV, iTube, iZone, iStream, iReality, iClick, iBox, iStation I am really tired of the Apple "i" naming convention but that is their new product branding.



    Based on the rumor that this new device will stream stuff from the cloud (or wherever), iStream sounds decent. Still, I think TV would need to be in there somewhere.
  • Reply 53 of 149
    rob55rob55 Posts: 1,291member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KindredMac View Post


    OMG YOU GUYS!!! THIS IS ALMOST NEWS!!!!!







    Where were these guys years ago when it was first announced???



    I thought they complained and that's why the name changed to AppleTV.
  • Reply 54 of 149
    nli10nli10 Posts: 32member
    WHO?? I hate these Patent sharks. They sit there in the 1950s and create the first non-government UK TV channel and create programs for YEARS and then sit back and wait until they can use the three letters to make some REAL money. I mean they did that show about wanting to be a millionaire, and some talent shows that will go NOWHERE and a bunch of the longest running dramas in the history of the planet but other than that they did NOTHING to earn this.





    Just include promotional ITV UK channel content on every box sold. ITVUK get world wide recognition and the iTV rolls out as planned. Simple!
  • Reply 55 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by drdb View Post


    ITV were the people responsible for the X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent (I think you've got a show called America's Got Talent too), just to give you an idea of the quality from them. They used to be quite good about 20-30 years ago but now they just make reality TV show garbage and shows with the word celebrity in them.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


    I'm not sure how you missed ITV- there are five major channels on every UK television set before you involve cable: BBC1, BBC2, ITV 1, Channel 4 and Channel 5. ITV and the companies that produce programming for it create some of the biggest known television programmes in the world. Not least Granada who product Coronation Street for them, one of the world's longest running soap operas.



    On cable/satellite/digital ITV also have ITV2, ITV3 and ITV 4. It's the major commercial channel in the UK. If it rings any bells with a US audience, it's also the channel that Simon Cowell launches his tv shows on - X Factor, Britains Got talent, that went on to spawn American Idol (and now X Factor in the US) and America's got talent. This is no small-fry organisation.



    I think you both missed the point. The argument was about whether or not they are a global brand, not whether or not anyone has heard of them. I remember watching ITV as a child, but that doesn't make it a global brand of any significance. I can think of a few French TV stations that are more widely known than ITV.



    Even if the UK or the EU (the UK hates the EU but will lean on them if they have a handy law they can inflict on someone), gets some judicial or legislative body to agree with them, it isn't going to be global because the fact is hardly anyone outside of the UK has heard of ITV. At most, in the UK or Europe it will be called something else.



    Remember ... there are two "ABC's" and they are both broadcasting networks, they are just in different countries. (Australia and the USA).
  • Reply 56 of 149
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by island hermit View Post


    The point being... who are you going to sue?



    Apple??!! For someone else's rumor??!!



    At this point, you certainly can't sue Apple.
  • Reply 57 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by nkhm View Post


    Check ITV's trademark - the "i" is in lower case...







    So is the "t" and "v"
  • Reply 58 of 149
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rob55 View Post


    I thought they complained and that's why the name changed to AppleTV.



    No, someone else did
  • Reply 59 of 149
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,860member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post


    iTV and ITV -- totally different. Capitalization is everything!



    Case is meaningless in trademark law, in the US at least. The trademark will be officially registered as 'ITV' and variations of case, font, etc. are all included under that mark.
  • Reply 60 of 149
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JustReelFilms View Post


    Yes...and there are hardware companies with the iTV brand registered. Like Monster Cable.



    http://tess2.uspto.gov/



    I could only find references to patents.
Sign In or Register to comment.