Steve Jobs Doll Legal After All
by Sean Capelle
January 9, 2012
It's one thing when a company slaps an Apple logo on their own product, or when Macs or iDevices are bootlegged, but it seems Apple's lawyers will have to learn the lesson that all is fair in war and toys.
The freaky-real Steve Jobs doll released by DiD Corps seemed to just be a big target for Apple's legal department. I mean, what was not to litigate over? The doll is just about photo-realistic, it comes with an Apple Macintosh, and it has way too many points of articulation than what should be allowed.
Sure enough, Apple acted with great vengeance and furious anger to put a cease and desist on the doll. Though, while they would like to believe they own the likeness of Steve Jobs, it seems that right was reserved only by Jobs himself.
According to Cult of Mac, there is no federal law regarding the use of a celebrity's likeness after death, and apparently, only some states have such a law.
So not only is Apple powerless to stop sales of the doll, but other companies could jump onboard as well. I don't believe this is a bad thing. If you think about it, DiD Corps went to great lengths to idolize Jobs. They are well within their rights to use his likeness.
I'm sure this won't be the last toy we'll see in the maker's image, but that's why we have a little thing called the First Amendment. Just as long as footage of Jobs isn't used to sell vacuum cleaners. That's just tacky.
So what do you think? Would you want a Steve Jobs doll this February for $99?