Intellectual Property

On The Media

The Brief, Shambolic Life of the Steve Jobs Doll

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

On this week's show we ran a story about the Chinese toy maker In Icons and its plans to release a Steve Jobs action figure. Perhaps good news for the legions of Apple fans, the news was less warmly embraced by Apple itself, who threatened legal action against the toy manufacturer.

But as PC World reported yesterday, In Icons has stopped production on the controversial doll. Tandy Cheung, the Hong Kong businessman behind the doll said in a statement that "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."

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On The Media

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Public Imagination

Friday, January 13, 2012

Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermons frequently relied on improvisation - King drew on sources and references that were limited only by his imagination and memory. It’s a gift on full display in King's 'I Have A Dream' speech, but it also conflicts with the intellectual property laws that have been strenuously used by his estate since his death. OTM producer Jamie York speaks with Drew Hansen, Keith Miller, Michael Eric Dyson and Lewis Hyde about King, imagination and the consequences of limiting access to art and ideas.

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