Feuding iPhone fart-makers raise legal stink

The developer behind the iPhone's top digital fart generator wants the American legal system to declare that using the phrase "pull my finger" does not run afoul of a rival's trademark. Infomedia, maker the immensely popular iFart Mobile app, is taking Pull My Finger developer Air-O-Matic to Colorado court seeking a …

[Eric Pedersen]

<sigh>

This is the state of the art of IT? Fart apps?

These guys, and I'm not rooting for either party in the dispute, most utterly deserve the financial raping that their lawyers will inevitably render upon them. Perhaps there is a good use for a live lawyer after all...

Can we look forward to a future 'technology/revenue sharing agreement' wrapped in NDAs?

Enjoy your Pyhrric victory when it comes, boys and/or girls. (Though I'm sure that members of the sensible sex are not involved.)

[Anonymous Coward]

You know

These law suits are just a fart in a hurricane. They amount to nothing but attempt to make a big stink. In the end both parties will end up looking as though they've smelled something sour. I mean even they have to realize this whole mess will go over like a fart in a diving helmet with their users.

I know I know, I'll be going now. Mine is the one with a can of Ozium in one pocket and a book of 101 bad fart jokes in the other.

[Charles Manning]

Prior (F)art?

If they think they can TM "pull my finger" then they should pull the other one with bells on. I'm sure most Regites and even high-browed twitterati have pulled a finger or two in their time.

[Anonymous Coward]

Pull My Finger?

Can anyone enlighten me as to what "Pull My Finger" got to do with farting?

Whichever way you look at it, it all sounds very messy (and rather silly come to think of it).

[Anonymous Coward]

@Eric Pederson

> This is the state of the art of IT?

This is the state of the fart of IT?

(there, fixed that for you!)

[SpeakerToAliens]

Last one (into court) is a rotten egg (smell).

<Icon chosen because its visually the closest to a Man in a Gas Mask>

[Anonymous Coward]

If ever...

...you needed proof of the decline of western society, look no further.

Paris, because pretty soon she's going to high culture.

[Chris C]

Ashamed of my fellow man

The owners/operators of two adolescent companies are suing each other over something they should have outgrown before they reached puberty. A technology journal writes an article about it, and four of the six comments posted so far carry on with the pre-pubescent was-never-funny-anyway "humor". And yet we (humans) claim to be the superior species? Lack of documented visitation from alien species does not mean they don't exist. It means they're smart enough to purposely avoid us.

And no, a whoopee cushion isn't funny, either.

re: <Sign> -- While there are some names used for both females and males (Kelly, Chris, etc), I've never heard of a male named Karen ("The filing also includes letters allegedly from Air-O-Matic counsel Karen Burr..."), so it seems the fairer sex does have some involvement, though we don't know if that's inside or outside counsel.

The part I find most depressing is that people are happy to waste money on such rubbish, but they're not willing to donate that same amount of money to help cure disease, help the homeless, or improve their local communities. And we consider ourselves superior.

[Frank]

@skelband re. Pull My Finger?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pull_my_finger

There you are. Is there anything else you need to know?

(It's ok, I'll do penance for using Wikipedia later)

[LaeMi Qian]

@skelband

When someone has a fart about to erupt, the ask a bystander "Pull my finger" with the intent that when the finger is pulled, a fart is released as if by mechanism.

To be honest, I am appalled at the number of primary-school children with iPhones and an iStore account!!

[It wasnt me]

Is this what the human race has come to?

We deserve our fate.

The human race really is a waste of oxygen.

This makes me feel bad.

Im going to console myself with the fact that they are probably American.

Leaders of the free world, trying to copyright farting.

[Andy Worth]

Who cut one??

You lot sat around here gasbagging while there are serious air-biscuit related cases under dispute!!

I was under the impression that to trademark a phrase you had to be able to claim ownership or invention of said phrase. "Pull my finger" is something I have heard used for probably 25 years, since the school playground.

Let's just hope that they don't manage to follow through with the prosecution eh?

[Tony]

Alright, so they have taken them to court

..but will they follow through?

[Jared Earle]

Smelt it V. Dealt it

Oh my.

Before I forget and descend into a fit of laughter, the trademark application for "pull my finger" relates only to mobile devices. Prior fart validity will be determined by the courts, not by the comments section of an IT rag. The trademark was allowed so it's up to them to defend it.

Right, back to utter contempt ...

[dervheid]

Sheltered existence?

"Can anyone enlighten me as to what "Pull My Finger" got to do with farting?"

You gotta be joking, right?

Clearly you have to be pulling our collective plonker.

[Winkypop]

I wish these kokers would just...

....iFuck off.

[A J Stiles]

Bloody kids today

You give them a 450MHz processor and all they want to do with it is make stupid farting noises.

I've used mainframes that had less power than an iPhone. I really hope this case gets thrown out of court and both sides are made jointly liable for costs. De flatus non curat lex, and all that.

I swear the policemen are getting younger, too. I'm off to wear my pipe and smoke my slippers.

[JP Strauss]

"Unfair business practice"...

... is kinda like when the guy in the cubicle next to your's lets out a silent one just as you have a yawn.

Fire Icon because, well you'd have had to be in the army to appreciate this one.

[Anonymous Coward]

Here pull this

Is this what technology is coming to? Is this what our first Borg implant is going to be, a fart generator, still might be handy for the upper classes, "Jeeves, make a fart for me, I'm feeling a bit bloated"

[Old Fart Programmer] Have you seen the latest application on the jesus phone, a fart generator

[Older Fart Programmer] Ah yes, its all so easy now, programming is all widgets and icons, drag this, drop that (no fart punt intended), bleedin' etch-a-sketch programming. When I started programming, I only had Ones and Zeros to program with.

[Old Fart Programmer] You had Zeros, you were lucky, I had to use the letter 'O'

[Older Fart Programmer] Yeah, I once had to write a program using only '1's.

[Old Fart Programmer] Try telling that to the youth of today

[Older Fart Programmer] Make then use IBM 3270's that what I say

I'll get my coat now.........

[Toastan Buttar]

Ask any cashier...

"Ask any cashier - money and farts shouldn't mix"

Not according to Roger Waters; "Moneeeeeey ! It's a gas."

Get your coat - you've pulled (my finger).

[Paul Segrue]

just another opportunity....

to use ODFO...

legal arguments over a bloody fart program.... there can't be that much call for them... can there?

[Neil]

Seems appropriate..

..Most iPhone owners I meet seem to be arseholes anyway.

[Doug Glass]

AH

And here I was thinking that was plain air in the heads of Apple fanboys.

Paris, because she knows an AH when she smells one.

[Peyton]

Thanks, El Reg

For once again reminding me that society is completely doomed. Cheers!

[David Hicks]

@Eric

It's the state of the public and their love of gadgets.

The iFart guy made tens to hundred of thousands of dollars from this thing.

At a dollar a go there are just that many hip, fashionable, arty, well-dressed, intelligent, attractive, independent-thinking, mould-breaking iPhone owners (and we know they're all like this, right? That's what Lord Steve said in his holy advertising gospel), that want to make their beautiful. perfectly engineered, light-years ahead technological show-piece fart like an old cowboy that's been on the beans.

Sums things up nicely for me.

[Tom]

<title>Lord askwith of windsor</title>

A load of hot air if you ask me...

[Francis Offord]

Work it out yourself

Ordure, what can the matter be.

[Magani]

Oh, Baby, Baby, It's a Wild World

"Just remember there's a lot of bad air, beware."[*]

Thanks, you've been a wonderful audience. I'll be here all week.

[*] (Cat Stevens, 1970 - for those of us who remember)

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a Pattern Here

We have the iFart, the Wii, and Vista (a pile of shit). Makes me wanna puke.

Mine's the one with the used handkerchief in the pocket.