Apple threatens Colombian mobile phone repairman with jail time
Apple threatens Colombian mobile phone repairman with jail time::While many people are keeping an eye on Apple's launches and the arrival of the iPhone 15 in September, a mobile phone and technology repairer has become the centre of attenti
https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2023/08/05/64ce155646163fd85d8b458f.htmlOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
What a sensationalized headline (and not the first one I read on the topic).
Apple didn't send lawyers to prevent his company repairing devices, but because the company uses Apple trademarks in their marketing material which then could confuse customers into believing this is an official Apple service partner.
It's pretty standard brand/trademark protection going on, and as far as I know you actually have to protect your trademarks to a certain extent.
This stuff is happening a lot, and this time news outlets chose to make it seem like Tim Cook himself wants this man in prison.
From the article
This makes it sound like he shouldn't even use the name of the products, which would be ridiculous. How do you advertise iPhone repair if you cannot use the term iPhone, or pictures of the specific models?
The article doesn't link to any of the materials, so I can't say whether they are actually misleading (using Apple's name and logo could be easily avoided) or not.
And this gives them the right to ruin someone's life? Come now, anything more than a small-ish fine is unreasonable.
How are they ruining his life? They literally just sent a cease and decist telling him he can't use their trademarks
It really depends on the severity of the infringement and whether it continues after being told to stop.
Because a corporation can arrest, convict, and jail someone...
I think someone might be putting a little too much stock in a cease and desist letter
I think you might be making too many assumptions about the Colombian legal system.
So those things are legal there? Ok
No, what I'm saying is that a quick Google suggests you can get jail time for this in Colombia even if Apple is the one suing. Obviously I'm not an expert, but my point is that Apple's threat of possible jail time is not completely unfounded, you can't assume it just works like the US legal system.
..."but I'm going to argue about the foreign legal system I know nothing about."
At least I attempted to looked it up, rather than everyone else who assumed it just can't happen at all while also knowing nothing about it.
They are not but who cares nothing is going to happened. It took them a while to kill Pablo Escobar now they are going to get this small guy? Lol
I hear apple jail isn't that bad, though the wait times leave a bit to be desired.
The iRamen can be expensive too
Hopefully this works out in favor of him. Hate to see corpos trying to fuck people just because they do million times better and sometimes cheaper work than them.
RTFA, not just the headline