If you’ve ever been part of the press/media and or any other entity that has to deal with large corporations like Sony, you will note that their legal departments are very active. Prior to any product, image, or news being released by a large company, the legal team runs through all scenarios prior to the announcement. In fact, some companies tend to lead with their legal team first and then follow up with products and customer service. The mentioned isn’t necessarily our take on Sony’s legal, but instead a reminder of how active legal teams are within a corporate structure.

That’s why we were surprised when we found a blatant error on their part when it comes to Apple. You see, when Sony on their website mentions that their product in compatible with Macs, usually in the footnote, a legal notice is given that Mac or OS X is a registered trademark of Apple. Indeed Sony does this, noting that:

 Mac OS is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. 

This is all fine until you note that Apple Computer, Inc. was dissolved in 2007 and renamed to Apple Inc. when then Apple CEO, Steve Jobs told audiences that:

 The Mac, iPod, Apple TV and iPhone. Only one of those is a computer. So we’re changing the name 

Seeing how this event took place 5 years ago at MacWorld, I hope Sony legal takes note and updates their website as, technically, due to their incorrect wording, they are still legally infringing on Apple’s trademark. It should also be taken into account that this post is on the light-hearted side and I don’t believe in any shape that Apple would take legal action on Sony if they found out about this. Just something I noticed and therefore I am, a big Apple and Sony geek.

Discuss:

Do legal teams sometimes go too far?

[Via Sony]