Bloggers on Apple-Beatles fight: Let it be

As legendary fans and fanatics go, few could rival the faithful followers of Apple Computer and The Beatles. But the Mac addicts came out victorious in the long-running legal battle between the computer maker and Apple Corps, The Beatles' record label.

The High Court in London ruled against the label, which had charged Apple Computer with trademark infringement. According to a settlement reached in 1991, Apple Computer was forbidden from distributing music through CDs, tapes or other physical media; the deal was made, however, long before digital music became a common medium.

Many blogs applauded the decision, and their thinking on the Beatles lawsuit was pretty much summed up with a single-word question: Why? As more than one blogger suggested, Apple Corps should have just "let it be."

Blog community response:

"The fact that this thing went to court shows how the Beatles are simply money hungry control freaks. Do they really think the public care about whether their label was called Apple, and on that same note, do they really think anyone under the age of 50 could get confused between Apple-iTunes and Apple the record company?"
--UtahSaint

"When you hear the name Apple, who do you think of... iPods or The Beatles? There is no consumer confusion over Apple Computer products and Beatles CDs. This lawsuit was just about greed and the judge made the right decision."
--methodshop.com

"We've been wondering what the driver for this. Was this action down to macho pride or an attempt at financial gain? (Please let there not be another legal battle between these two again, I'm really bored in having to type out Apple Corp and Apple Computers.)"
--Digital-Lifestyles.info