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Cisco Gives Apple another Extension on iPhone Lawsuit TMCnet Contributing Editor Cisco has reportedly granted Apple another extension to settle the iPhone (News - Alert) trademark dispute. Under an agreement reached late last week, the companies will settle the legal scuffle on or before Feb. 21, 2007. Cisco filed the lawsuit against Apple (News - Alert) in January for using iPhone, a brand name owned by Cisco, after months of private negotiating. Cisco obtained the iPhone trademark when it acquired telecom company Infogear in 2000. Infogear sold wireless devices under the name iPhone even before it was acquired by Cisco. Apple went ahead and used the brand name when it unveiled the iPhone, its new multimedia phone, in January. Cisco’s claims its decision to give Apple an extension in answering the lawsuit reflects its commitment in reaching an agreement that is mutually beneficial to the two companies. This was the second time the negotiations were extended. Apple is expected to offer Cisco a settlement - or challenge the lawsuit in court - on or before Feb. 21. Cisco spokesman John Noh said in a statement on Friday that negotiations were still ongoing. “Cisco and Apple are still working on an agreement toward trademark usage and interoperability,” he said. Mark Chandler, senior vice president of Cisco, said the lawsuit is simply about protecting the company’s trademark and preventing other companies from using it without their permission. He said he was disappointed and surprised when Apple unveiled its new device using Cisco’s trademarked name. “We genuinely believed that we were going to be able to reach an agreement and Apple’s communications with us suggested they supported that goal,” he said. “We negotiated in good faith with every intention to reach a reasonable agreement with Apple by which we would share the iPhone brand.” Cisco and Apple are expected to use the extra time in discussing interoperability issues and trademark rights. Cisco is expected to get a cash settlement. Don't forget to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP  Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users.--------- Beverly Maniago is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page. |