Apple sued over Tiger name by Tiger Direct

[Duo Maxwell]

Guess who's not getting my business anymore?

http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1039

Apple sued over "Tiger," injunction sought

By AppleInsider Staff
Published: 04:00 PM EST                                                                                

 Apple Computer has been slapped with a lawsuit  by Tiger Direct Inc. for allegedly infringing its trademark with the new Mac OS X "Tiger'' operating system scheduled for release on Friday.

 Tiger Direct, which sells computers and related products on the Internet, said Apple's Tiger OS threatens to dilute its trademarked name, according to Bloomberg, which has obtained a copy of the lawsuit.
 
 The online retailer also accused Apple of deceptive and unfair trade practices in the lawsuit, filed today in federal court in Miami, Florida, Bloomberg said.
 
 "Apple Computer has created and launched a nationwide media blitz led by Steven Jobs, overwhelming the computer world with a sea of Tiger references," Tiger Direct's attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.
 
 If the court grants Tiger Direct's request for an injunction, Apple's rollout of Tiger could be stopped.
 
 Tiger Direct, which is based in Miami, Florida, has used its family of Tiger trademarks to sell computers and computer related products since 1987, the lawsuit said. The company owns trademarks on the names Tiger, TigerDirect and TigerSoftware.
 
 The retailer said Apple's use of the name "is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the general purchasing public."
 
 At the root of the issue appears to internet search results. Tiger Direct contends that Apple's use of the name has adversely affected its ranking amongst the Internet's largest search engines, Google and Yahoo, bumping the company from its usual spot in the first three results.
 
 Tiger Direct has asked the federal court to block Apple from using the name, according to Bloomberg.
 
 The online retailer is also seeking damages and legal fees.
 
 Update: Tiger Direct claims a preliminary injunction hearing is slated for Tuesday, May 3, several days after Tiger is scheduled to go onsale.

[Orethrius]

Hold your horses here, something's rotten in the vicinity of Denmark. Try to backtrace that article any further than AppleInsider, see a problem?

I can find no evidence of this case on Apple's News.  Additionally, no article by this name appears on Bloomberg (Googled extensively, using Bloomberg+Tiger,Bloomberg+Apple, and Bloomberg+Tigerdirect.  Additionally, it should be noted that TigerDirect.com  lays no claim to anything BUT TigerDirect. Until we get something better than the word of Kasper, it sounds to me like someone with a personal vendetta. Besides, if you check the USPTO information, TigerDirect is not named and can only be conjecture - unless somebody cares to call the attorney-of-record (John Donald, assuming this has not also been falsified) to verify.

[Simon]

It's also worth noting that TigerDirect is notorious for incomplete shipments, bad service, and even Unauthorized credit Card use. Hell, if you search "Tiger Direct Lawsuit" you'll come up with complaints about them, not the suit against apple.

[Orethrius]

I won't regale all of you with tales of TigerDirect's misbehaviour, I simply find a third-party article questionable when none of the sources seem to pan out.  If anyone can find concrete links to the sources - not conjecture - I'll buy it, but not a moment sooner.  Not that it would surprise me one bit, mind you; there's a reason that I use NewEgg myself.  

[toadlife]

I am familiar with Trademark law, as I have been threatened* by a large company before myself - and I WON. IMO, Tiger Direct has absoutely NO case against Apple.

* Read the first three news items on the site I linked to and you'll see what I mean.

[Phase2]

Hmm, perhaps Tiger Woods can file a lawsuit, and we'll make this a threesome.  

Phase2

[MrX]

you know your company is gay when...

[adiment]

It's also worth noting that TigerDirect is notorious for incomplete shipments, bad service, and even Unauthorized credit Card use. Hell, if you search "Tiger Direct Lawsuit" you'll come up with complaints about them, not the suit against apple.

what are you talking about?

Tiger Direct is a great etailer. http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1983.html

They have good prices too...only thing they are notorius for is long rebates that most of the time don't come...

I'm into hardware and Tiger Direct is #3 on my list. Newegg, Zipzoomfly, Tiger Direct, SVC.

http://www.google.com/search?q=Tiger+Direct+Lawsuit&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official
Where are the lawsuites for complaints huh? Almost nobody sues an online store...If you don't like your product you can just RMA it, and you always get a tracking # so they know if you didn't recieve it. I don't know what you're talking about. :fu: