This Week in Apple Lawsuit History: Flashback to Carl Sagan v. Apple Computer Inc.
Sunday, June 15, 2008 at 10:03PM
In my attempt at a “retro” blog, I ask you to take a spin in your time machine and see if you remember when Carl Sagan, famed astronomer and scientist, sued famed technology giant, Apple Computer. It was this week in history that Apple settled with Sagan in 1994 regarding two defamation suits. The legal battle began when Apple’s internal minds decided to honor Sagan by code-naming the Power Macintosh 7100 after him. The name was used internally only and therefore posed no problem until Apple released models of the Power Macintosh 7100 code-named as “Cold Fusion” and “Piltdown Man.”
When Carl Sagan learned of the names he sued for defamation claiming that the names defamed his character. A defamation suit with a public figure plaintiff such as Sagan against a public giant like Apple is normally protected by the First Amendment. Such a case leaves the plaintiff to prove that Apple had knowledge that the information was false and that they advertised the names with reckless disregard of whether or not the names were false. In this case, Apple won the lawsuit but then changed their Power Macintosh 7100 to an equally defaming internal codename: BHA or “Butt-head Astronomer”
The name change lead to the Sagan's second lawsuit against Apple. Sagan again, had to prove that Apple stated the name with knowledge that it was false and that the name was with reckless disregard of whether or not the names were false. Sagan lost the suit on the grounds that Apple claimed the right to free speech under the First Amendment, which protect big names like Apple from suits of defamation.
Apple’s last word was when they changed the computer’s internal name to be “LAW,” which is better known as “Lawyers Are Wimps.” Sagan was again offended by the name and Apple eventually settled in June of 1994.
Information for this blog found on :
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Did-You-Know-Carl-Sagan-Fought-Apple-87985.shtml