Manufacturer says he will not stop the production of the dolls no matter what Apple does
There may be no other statue or figurine made in the likeness of the late?Steve Jobs more realistic than the?12" doll by Chinese company Inicons. The action figure even comes with his trademark clothes and a "One More Thing" backdrop. Tandy Cheung, owner of Inicons, believes "the best way to remember [Jobs] is to make an action figure of him." But as he doesn't have the license to use the late tech executive's likeness,?Apple has reportedly threatened his company with legal action.
The Chinese manufacturer allegedly received a letter from Apple calling what it did a criminal offense. According to intellectual property lawyer Lawrence Townsend, the Inicons doll violates the?Right of Publicity (or personality rights), which is a law that protects the image, voice, and other aspects of a person's identity. Also, as Steve Jobs lived in California, he's protected by the?Celebrities Rights Act that extends the Right of Publicity law for up to 70 years after his death. Personality rights, however, is recognized only in a handful of states across the U.S., prompting?Paid Content to call Apple's warning to Inicons an "empty threat."
In spite of this development, Cheung remains unfazed. Speaking to?ABC News, he says, "Apple can do anything they like. I will not stop, we already started production." If you find yourself oddly wanting the doll instead of being creeped out, Inicons announced its launch in February for $99 each, and has already started?taking pre-orders. Of course, nobody knows what'll happen now that Apple has threatened to sue. Several?listings for the action figure have also popped up on?Ebay for around $30 to $50 more than the original price.
Telegraph via?Slashdot
This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca
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