Awesome, Realistic Steve Jobs Action Figure Is No More
January 17, 2012
Did you make sure to get your preorder in for in icon's infamous Steve Jobs action figure?
Well, it turns out that -- intended limited run or not -- nobody will be receiving their orders of the ultra-realistic plastic sculpture, and full refunds will be forthcoming for all. From the creator's personal statement:
I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the original intention for creating the figurine was driven by a fan's admiration of Steve. We respect copyright and trade mark rights and therefore indicated on our site that we were not providing any Mac, iPhone and iPad models with the figurine. Further, we haven't used any Apple related brands. Unfortunately, we have received immense pressure from the lawyers of Apple and Steve Jobs family. Regardless of the pressure, I am still Steve's fan, I fully respect Steve, and his family, and it is definitely not my wish or intention that they be upset. Though we still believe that we have not overstepped any legal boundaries, we have decided to completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figurine out of our heartfelt sensitivity to the feelings of the Jobs family.While I agree that the sale of the figure shouldn't represent a legal problem, I'm no lawyer, and the issue is fairly unfamiliar even to established practitioners of law -- There don't appear to be any precedents. Regardless, it feels like we're only scratching the surface of what Steve Jobs' status will be as a literal trademark for Apple going forward. It's kind of a bummer, though. I really wanted that doll.
