Australian TV iPhone scam?

If you're in Australia you may well have seen the TV add, it goes something like this;

"Iphone is a trademark of

A- Apple

B- Microsoft

.. text A or B to *phone no* for your chance to win an iPhone"

Its the kind of thing you expect to see come up as a popup window on the internet... but this is on the TV we're talking about, hosted by some bimbo blonde with big boobs. Can't say I was flattered, although it did intrigue me...

One fundamental flaw- The iPhone isnt even in Australia yet.

Of course the company must cash in the $$$ every time someone texts in, somehow.

How can companies be allowed to do this? especially when its such a blatant scam? what are they giving out, hacked iPhones?

what do you guys think?

#489020

Yep I have seen it as well and wondered because clearly, it's illegal... I do agree that it's exceptionally cheesy.....

Not sure how they have kept it running but then perhaps nobody has complained.

#489028

Little triva for you...

Apple still doesn't have an exclusive trademark on the word "iPhone" either.

It's shared by 3 companies of which Cisco is the primary owner and has been since March 20, 1996.

Apple is the secondary owner with Cisco having the superior right of ownership.

The actual spelling "iPhone" with the lowercase "i" uppercase "P" belongs to Teledex LLC LTD since March 7, 2005.

#489074

lol, neat trivia rjohnstone;

yes thats true about cisco... i remember that all flamed up before the iPhone was even released.

and I was left thinking, "just give up cisco", seriously, what does the iPhone trademark really mean to them? other than a way to sue a company far richer... Apple was gonna have the trademark no matter what.

... but on this add, it was definately an Apple iPhone pictured, and there could be no doubting its intended message.

LOL imagine if the scam was that they gave you some shitty cisco IPhone.... lmao

EDIT- Saw some cases for the iPhone in Australian stores the other day (and no they weren't for the iPod touch either, because they had those too). Interesting considering nobody can legally sell an iphone that fits... there must be a fair demand from people with hacked iPhones.

#489130

lol, neat trivia rjohnstone;

yes thats true about cisco... i remember that all flamed up before the iPhone was even released.

and I was left thinking, "just give up cisco", seriously, what does the iPhone trademark really mean to them? other than a way to sue a company far richer... Apple was gonna have the trademark no matter what.

The deal with that was actually very legitimate for Cisco.

Their product is real and existed for over a decade before Apple decide they wanted the name.

Apple has a conditional trademark on the name. Cisco can still assert their senior rights on it if they chose too, but Apple slipped them some $$$ and agreed to stay out of the VoIP area.

So as long as Apple stays out of the VoIP, they can use the name.

#489149

ah ah ah, i find that pretty hilarious, see that all the time here in quebec, the province that every contest voids.

#489156

It's not illegal to sell hacked iPhones. They have to make it clear that the warrantee is void, but otherwise, hacked iPhones can be sold pretty freely.

Therefore, this isn't a scam, just another person/company trying to capitalize on the iPhone's success.

#489641