CLICKME to see Steve 2.0
A $99 posable figure Steve Jobs action figure appears to have elicited an immune response from the corpus of Apple. The company, In Icons, has been nown to make other effigies, including the figures of Kim Jong Il apparently used by North Korea in some of the photographs taken after the Dear Leader’s apparent demise.
Reports from CRAVE claim Apple sent In Icons a cease and desist note, claiming the company is breaking the law by creating a product that “resembles the technology company’s logo, person’s name, appearance or likeness of its products.” In addition creating the figure could be considered defamation of a public figure, a crime of defamation under China’s uniform legal code.
According to Crave, “the figure, which made waves earlier this week, closely resembles Jobs, including his well-known wardrobe of a black turtleneck and jeans, and frameless glasses. Among the other things included in the kit that went on pre-sale this month were a holdable apple and a chair that could be used to pose the figure, as well as backdrop sporting the familiar “one more thing” catch phrase synonymous with Apple product launches.”
“It remains unclear how many of the figures have been purchased and if the company will attempt to go ahead with shipping it out, or end up refunding early buyers. In an interview with ABC News yesterday ahead of any news of legal action,”
There also appears to be some mystery about where the figure is being manufactured. In Icons is a the Hong Kong based marketing company. Since the takeover by the People’s Republic, Hong Kong has had very strict rules about defamation. This suggests that the Jobs effigy may be made outside China and marketed by In Icons. As long they do not sell merchandise within the PRC, the law does not apply.
In Icons head Tandy Cheung said that “Apple can do anything they like,” and “I will not stop, we already started production.”