Jewelers start gold plating Apple Watch to undercut Apple’s pricey Edition models

[Dabombinable]

Actually they can. It happens all the time in the software world.

 

 

I don't think Apple will sue them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. They have sued for smaller and more ridiculous things in the past. For example they have sued a cafe owner for having an Apple in their logo.

*sigh* Apple is really immature. But the way they market their products and net what would normally be an unexpected amount of sales.....

[LAwLz]

Software is most of the time different, because it's not classed as physical property, but a license. (IE, rented) 

Okay, how about console modding? On some consoles it is possible to add extra chips which allows you to bypass certain DRMs. I am pretty sure people have been sentenced for doing that too, even though it is simply a modification on a physical product they own.

So no, with the God awful copyright laws we currently got, you are not allowed to do whatever you want with a physical product you have bought.

[mr moose]

All this thread has is continuous shitposts about Apple lawsuits yet very little in the way of rational thought about how they've handled companies plating their stuff before. They don't care.

 

Ironically from the same person who had a hissy over three very similar shitposts about AMD in another thread.  Can we say inconsistent?  It seems that making silly posts about apple is ok but your not allowed to dislike AMD at all.

[Opcode]

*Lawsuits incoming*

Won't happen, Apple doesn't hold a patent for gold plating. The worst thing they can do is refuse to warranty the product. Not like you would want to ship it back to them anyways after its been plated in gold. People looking to do this are doing it on their own time and if something breaks they just buy another watch and switch out the housing. You could consider it a "loophole" for not having to pay so much for Apples version. Although it's really nothing more than a watch mod.

[Dabombinable]

Won't happen, Apple doesn't hold a patent for gold plating. The worst thing they can do is refuse to warranty the product. Not like you would want to ship it back to them anyways after its been plated in gold. People looking to do this are doing it on their own time and if something breaks they just buy another watch and switch out the housing.

Either way, the consumer wins as they can buy more replacements for the same price as an actual "Edition' watch. Though Apple should have released it when they could have actually given it 'exclusive features' to sweeten the price a bit.

[dalekphalm]

Okay, how about console modding? On some consoles it is possible to add extra chips which allows you to bypass certain DRMs. I am pretty sure people have been sentenced for doing that too, even though it is simply a modification on a physical product they own.

So no, with the God awful copyright laws we currently got, you are not allowed to do whatever you want with a physical product you have bought.

Huge difference. Those mod chips directly circumvented the DRM and violated the software EULA/ToS users had with Playstation/Sony. They were essentially "hacking" Sony software.

 

Whereas with the Apple Watch, the gold plating has literally zero interaction with the software/OS contained on the device, which is what your "user license" actually covers. You aren't leasing the physical watch. The physical object is 100% yours to do with.

 

However, anything you do with that device (Be it the Watch, or a Playstation), that then affects other things (such as software for which you are simply using a license), then it becomes a legal issue.

 

The mod chips are 100% not comparable to this situation. That does not provide legal precedence for Apple, since the issues are nothing alike.