Filed under: Cult of Mac, Bad Apple
Apple Legal Forces AppleKeynotes.com Shutdown
A group of Mac fans started collecting the various different Apple Keynote addresses into one place, AppleKeynotes.com. It was developing into an interesting community site where people could watch or re-watch some of the Keynote addresses from the past. Were I a marketing or speech instructor, I'd have been pointing my students there to see fine examples of the art of the sale and exemplary delivery style.
Unfortunately, it is no more. This morning, the site shut down because they received a letter from Apple Legal. Presumably, republishing the Keynotes was violating Apple's copyright on them, but it's not clear from the notice.
I agree with both sides here. Apple has a right to protect their copyrighted material, including Keynote Addresses. But at the same time, Apple was not making these available for public perusal, and so a few people stepped up to do so in a non-profit, community-driven manner. Perhaps we can hope Apple will make the Keynotes available themselves.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
John said 10:10AM on 2-21-2006
Now that Apple sees a potential demand, they can sell them via iTunes and losers will pay out. They can do no wrong!
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valgonzarp said 10:17AM on 2-21-2006
Can't believe it... Looks like Apple's amount of lawyers onboard surpassed critical mass. Now they'll broadcast bogus legal notices to everyone around just like any other company. IMHO they should exchange some of the lawyers for design/programmer people for the new Finder. ;)
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iFelix said 10:29AM on 2-21-2006
That's a shame.
One of the problems Apple (as with any other corporate entity) is that you must be seen to be protecting your IPR at all time, otherwise when something happens that could really cut into your revenues a judge would see things like Applekeynotes.com as an indication that Apple was not serious about protecting its IPR and therefore may not intervene in a case which could impact on Apple's revenue.
Therefore all sites like Applekeynotes,com, no matter how great, how useful and how wonderful it is, either need to be licensed or closed down.
However here's hoping Apple either license the site or allow their keynotes to be see again and perused.
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dombi said 10:33AM on 2-21-2006
I don't understand this one... what is wrong with people watching the older keyntoes? How could this be hurting Apple? I don't think that they are making money on the keynotes, so what is the point of taking this away from the FANS?
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Bigfat said 10:34AM on 2-21-2006
What? As if the huge long warnings at the start of each Keynote broadcast didn't predict this?
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Santiago said 10:52AM on 2-21-2006
apple is scared that someone will use past keynotes against them in class action lawsuits for promises apple never fulfilled... i.e. iTools being free for life, a 3 GHz G5 in one year, etc. this is not to protect copyright, this is to protect their arses.
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Les Posen said 10:54AM on 2-21-2006
I visited this site to try and relive some of my favourite Keynotes: the 2001 release of the TiBook, the 2003 release of Keynote and the 12" and 17" Powerbooks, and of course the one where Steve threw the digital camera. Ah, right! Now we know why they were taken down. More seriously, I'd pay to see them on iTunes for the nostalgia value, as well as training purposes for prsentation skills.
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AppleKeynotes.com said 11:03AM on 2-21-2006
Its finally happened folks, weve been contacted by Apple Legal (sooner or later I guess right) and we have to pretty much close the site, heres a quote from the email we were sent:
"It has recently come to our attention that your companys trade name
is made up of two of Apples highly valued trademarks: Apple and
Keynote. Your website is also using Apples logo and an image of
Steve Jobs and appears to be offering Apples copyrighted materials,
including the keynote addresses given by Mr. Jobs, which is protected
by copyright law. While Apple appreciates your enthusiastic support
of our company, we are concerned that your companys name and site
will mislead consumers into believing that you are formally affiliated
with Apple. Apples intellectual property is its primary asset and we
are obligated under law to protect it; otherwise, we run the risk of
losing our rights."
So we have to do the following:
"We therefore must request that you (1) change your companys name to
something other than AppleKeynotes.com; (2) remove the image of Steve
Jobs and the Apple logo that appears at the top of each webpage; and
(3) remove any Apple copyrighted material, including any copyrighted
speeches or keynote addresses. For more information on Apples
policies relating to use of its trademarks and copyrighted materials,
please visit http://www.apple.com/legal/trademark/."
But at least Apple was impressed we were supporting them!
"While we appreciate that you have included a disclaimer on your site
which states that you are not affiliated or endorsed by Apple, we must
request that you move the disclaimer to the top of the page to make it
more visible."
So yeah, were closing our doors - thanks for those who contributed and downloaded!
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Andy Lee said 11:08AM on 2-21-2006
Wish I'd known about this site before it shut down. I'd *love* to have past keynotes.
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Laurence Anderson said 11:32AM on 2-21-2006
It was a shame Apple had to shut us down, but we weren't about to disobey their request, because - hey we do love the company we just hate how they handle legal affairs. ;)
Laurence Anderson
Former AppleKeynotes.com Admin
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Christian said 11:42AM on 2-21-2006
[conspiracy]
Apple is just wiping out all the evidence that they ever bashed Windows because 2008 they'll finally make the switch to Microsoft's OS ;o)
[/conspiracy]
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Mac Diva said 12:16PM on 2-21-2006
I'm glad Laurence gets it. After that visit to TUAW by the utterly clueless X86ers, I expected another temper tantrum about the public somehow having the right to do whatever it wants with legally protected content. An intelligent response from Apple Keynotes restores my faith in humanity. . . . A little.
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max khesin said 1:41PM on 2-21-2006
Is anyone mirroring? I'd like to have a private copy. maxk youknow touro.edu
thanks!
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b. nystedt said 1:56PM on 2-21-2006
Good thing I dl'd some of them... :) I can't wait until next tuesday! Let it be cheap iBook.... please Apple!
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alexis said 3:11PM on 2-21-2006
At the beginning of every Apple Keynote, it states:
"This broadcast and its contents are the sole property of Apple, and are protected by Federal law and international treaties. You are strictly prohibited from making a copy of modicifcation of, or from rebroadcasting or re-encoding, this broadcast without the prior written permission from Apple Public Relations, except as may be permitted by law."
While I'm not defending the decision to shut down applekeynotes.com (I loved the site), I'm not surprised either. Apple doesn't put up warnings like that for their health. It's their property and they can protect it however they wish.
It is, however, a shame that the site got pulled.
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Robert Knight said 3:25PM on 2-21-2006
They probably started thinking long and hard about that "Megahertz Myth" crud from a couple of years ago and realized how dumb that now looks.
Scuttle it.
Plus, they were probably trrying to keep that keynote with Jack Abramoff from getting too much play. Might look bad.
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Peter Mankarious said 3:55PM on 2-21-2006
If you look at http://applekeynotes.com/keynotes/ there is a slightly different message ;)
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John C. Randolph said 5:10PM on 2-21-2006
Guys,
What nobody's considered here, is that several of Apple's keynotes included performances by musicians, which are always done under very specific licenses, which allow Apple to distribute the performances for a limited period, and do NOT allow other parties to distribute them at all.
So, pack up your conspiracy theories. You don't need them.
-jcr
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Christian Mittendorf said 5:30PM on 2-21-2006
It seems as if Apple legal is back at work. But why don't they go after a site like this one: http://osx.portraitofakite.com
They've been around for some time and even got some reviews on other sites. They've been copying icons, wallpapers, logos, etc. from OS X and I can't think that what they are doing is legal.
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Ken R said 6:03PM on 2-21-2006
Aww, that's really too bad. I wish I had saved some of those great keynotes :'(
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