RSSShuffle Knockoff Maker Sues Apple
By Ed Oswald | Published January 5, 2007, 11:34 AM
Taiwanese manufacturer Luxpro made headlines in March 2005 when it first showed off its first-generation iPod Shuffle clone at CeBIT. The company is now striking back, suing Apple for $100 million over lost sales.
Luxpro was emboldened by an appeals court decision which reversed an earlier ruling that the company had indeed infringed upon Apple's Shuffle design. Originally called the "Super Shuffle," Luxpro later changed the name to the Tangent in an attempt to avoid legal action.
The Shihlin District Court of Taiwan originally ruled in favor of Apple, saying "Luxpro should desist from manufacturing, selling, and advertising the said products." However, the company appealed, and won.
Apple disagreed with the ruling, and appealed to the Supreme Court of Taiwan. However, the nation's highest court upheld the appeals court verdict. Additionally, the company lost a complaint with Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission in October 2006.
In its suit against Apple, Luxpro levels some serious claims: one being that the company threatened retaliation during the court case against stores who carried the Tangent line with removal of its iPod products if Luxpro's player was not removed from shelves.
This resulted in lost sales, the company claims. "Luxpro resolved that although a tiny underdog in this fight, it will resolutely protect the company's interests, dignity, and seek to achieve fair and just treatment in the market," the company said in a statement.
Luxpro says that the Tangent line is substantially different from the first-generation Shuffle, through the addition of the Luxpro logo and an OLED display screen. But from a distance, most would not be able to tell a difference, as the front of the player is nearly identical to Apple's model.
Apple could not be reached for comment as of press time.
figures, someone comes up with a good idea, and someone else is waiting in the shadows to steal the glory. Im sorry, but apple deserves what it has created, a market for ipod players, not luxpro, they deserve a lawsuit and a swift kick to the curb.
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|Note to self... Withdraw appeal with the Supreme Court of Taiwan.. cause you're about to get screwed!
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|Luxpro should rot in hell. Damn thieving turds. Then they have the gall to file a lawsuit. I hope Apple dumps their smelly carcass in the gutter when it's through.
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|Luxpro hasn't gotten any dignity to protect. The fact that they called their product the Super Shuffle at first is telling.
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|Well what do you expect?
Neither side wants to admit they did anything wrong so they'll fight it out to the death.
Apple will win because they have more money to throw at the court case.
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|You are wrong. Neither company will win, the only winner are those lawyers. I hate this world. If you want to sue some body, you need a lawyer. If you want to sue a lawyer for wrong doing, guess who do you need.
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|This is the stupidiest thing I've ever read...
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|Almost as stupid as saying "stupidiest"
:-p
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|it should be the most stupid thing you've ever read
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|the one with a screen looks like an ugly ripoff of the old iRiver series
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|Wow looks like Apple pulled a Microsoft ... wouldn't say its the first time *cough cough* INTEL *cough cough*
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|OOoo, I'd say that's clearly thieving. Jobs must have thought the Luxpro was his stock options. (No one will notice if I steal it.)
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|Ummmm...Luxpro stole the Apple design, not the other way around.
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|Just like Apple stole Creatives design (though in a different way).
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive” -Sir Walter Scott
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|http://www.luxpro.com.tw/apple.jpg has an image comparison.
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|Geez, you think they could have at least moved the dial up or down a bit.
*shakes head*
Anyone can see that this is a direct knock-off.
Meh... If I were an iPod user, I'd stick with the iPod. There's something to be said for credibility and support.
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|Yeah, this is kind of like the burglar who breaks into your house and then sues when the dog bites him.
I wonder where the Luxpro Vs. Apple lawsuit was filed, because I smell a little nationalism in the prior Taiwanese ruling.
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|Yeah, they hate us. Which isn't that surprising since, reading the papers, we hate ourselves.
It's one big world-wide hate-fest.
...but at least we're united in something.
*grins*
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|But they added a line and printed "Luxpro" above it! What else do you want man?
/sarcasm
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|Hell, why didn't they just call it an lPod and maybe just shorten the "l" a little and perhaps put a dot over it....
(The "l" is a lower-case L, FYI.
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|...wow...
Yeah, that's pretty bad.
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|Yeah, they hate us. Which isn't that surprising since, reading the papers, we hate ourselves.
I'm glad someone else noticed this. What's with the "hating your own country is cool" trend lately?
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|They all look like pregnancy tests, some with an LCD screen to let you know your life will now suck for the next 18 years.
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|Entitlement.
Everyone wants the government to cater to *their* ideas and beliefs, and that any failing whatsoever to do so in entirety is a failure of the government and thus equates to a "bad" government.
The greater majority of our society has become decadent and self-serving. There was really never any way to stop it from happening. It happened in ancient Rome as well.
Much as I promote and believe in the principles and beliefs upon which this country was founded, I fully expect to see it fall apart completely within the next 10-20 years (that's being generous).
It's simple human nature. We no longer strive to do, or even acknowledge, the things that made this country great, instead we go on and on about the little failures and constantly seek to expose any and every flaw and weakness, however inconsequential.
The mainstream media has become a huge advertisement for the failures of western civilization, and the people speak of little else.
Frankly, I'm amazed there are still countries out there that support us at all out of anything other than morbid curiosity.
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