Apple Forces Removal Of Steve Jobs Action Figure

A Chinese company, MIC Gadget, got some attention for its Steve Jobs figurine but some of that attention came from Apple’s lawyers, who forced the company to stop selling the item. Lawyer David Canton (who pointed us to this story) does a nice job of explaining why this doesn’t make much sense:

It’s not as if this in practice causes any harm to Apple or Steve Jobs or confusion about their brand. It doesn’t put Steve or Apple in any bad light — in fact, it’s a good likeness. And it sold quickly, so there is demand for it.

Steve and Apple are not desperate for any extra publicity, or any extra income. But instead of shutting them down — what if they struck a deal to pay a royalty on each one, and to sell them in Apple stores — and then Apple donate its income from this to charity.

But that would go beyond the standard mentality of “protect, protect, protect.”