digg

Greed is a deadly sin, Apple.

Netcast is a better word for it. Apple doesn't deserve any free advertising after pulling this *****.

In the description they still use the word podcast though. I think its good, they shouldn't be called podcasts anyway, for people that aren't familiar with them, it implies that you can only listen to them with an iPod.

The problem is that one of those bastard squaters already took the domain in 2003 and will try to extort money for it as much as or more than Apple would have.

Netcast is tradmarked

Copyright © NETCAST AG 1997-2006. All rights reserved. NETCAST is a trademark of NETCAST AG. The trademarks, service marks, and logos used and displayed on this Site are registered and unregistered Trademarks of NETCAST AG and others. Nothing on this Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark displayed on the Site, without the written permission of the Trademark owner.

Question, actually 2. Do people view what Apple is doing different that what Digg has been doing with cease and desist letter? If so, why?

Good news, hope this takes off, will show apple.

They need to change the netcast players section where they name and link to the "iPodder" instead of Juice.

And I love how CBS put the description on what a Netcast is...

"CBS Netcasting is a way to receive audio files over the Internet, using the RSS 2.0 file format, at no cost. You can listen to these files on your computer or download them on to your MP3 player and take them with you."

Its good and I love how they offer instructions on how to get it, and even link to various popular netcasting applications. I can see how this would be useful for beginners. A good job in my opinion.

That and "podcast" sounds awfully gay.

netcast is a better name for it. podcast implies that you need an ipod to use it.

I have never liked the term podcast, and I can't beleive apple would have a problem with people using it. People do generally associate them with iPods, it is very much free advertising. But I guess legally they have to protect their trademarks or they will lose possession of them.

Let's send Apple a cease and desist letter, warning them of a geek boycott (and girlcott) if they don't cut this ***** out

Beware the poison Apple.

I want an iMac :'(

tubecast?

I say rub it in Apple's face by calling it an audcast (rhymes with podcast) for audio and vodcast for video. Way to go, Apple Legal! Steve's gonna love you so much for waking up the masses and making them see that it's not all about Apple.

For anyone who actually wants to dig deeper into the Trademark fight:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=1252

@ Ray_Justice

"I think its different becuase Digg hasn't become a common everyday word like podcast. People have been using the word podcast for years to describe their shows,"

Podcast is hardly a common everyday word ....

Major Nelson has been calling them Blogcast's for ever I like that name a little better then Netcast.

How about calling it 'downloadable audio segments'. There is nothing magical here kiddies. Neither Apple of anyone else invented anything, they just made it popular.

UHM.... Apple is NOT trying to trademark "podcast." Podcast, in fact, has been placed in the book by the trademark office as a "generic term"... like water. As such, it CAN NOT be trademarked.

Get your facts straight before doing something stupid CBS.

Pretty sure the 'pod' prefix and suffix was around a long time before Apple started using it

The term "podcast" is useless. It doesn't convey anything, and really doesn't even make sense. I have refused to use it from day one, even as stupid as the word "Blog" is at least it was formed by two meaningful descriptive words. Podcast is just lame. Call it a netcast, an internet broadcast... at least it has some roots in sense.

Sometimes the gimmicky nature of tech terms isn't always "cool" this is one of them. The Wii is another, no it will never "catch on" and sound cool. And I like the Wii. Hate the word podcast.

Fully how everyone is slamming Apple on this when they didn't even create the term "podcast" or "podcasting". Granted it was created by users with iPods in mind, but Apple didn't create those terms.

Ummm, thats the point. Apple didn't create those terms and are indirectly trying to associate themselves with those terms by making sure they and only apple own the term "pod"

meh, don't really care the name so long as I can still listen to them.

I find it odd it took Apple so long to take action, especially since they introducted a podcast section in their iTunes?

Also, I always called the video podcasts, IPTV or vidcasts.

Netcast was trademarked by fishermen in the first century. I smell another lawsuit.

Or because the term "podcast"... like the term "blog"... is a really friggin' stupid buzz word fad?

CBS has always used the term "Netcast" instead of podcast.

Score one for Leo Laporte!

Wow, it's amazing to me just how important so many of us think we are. Do you honestly think that many people outside of our tiny little "blogosphere" give two ***** about this? You can get your panties puckered and leap up onto your tiny soapboxes until the sun runs dry and it won't matter...evvvveerrrr. The world is much much bigger than Digg or Engadget ever will be, folks. The reality is that most of the real world doesn't even know what a podcast is and those that do probably assume that Apple invented them and offered them for free via iTunes and this is exactly the way Apple wants it. You seem to think that only geeks buy iPods or use iTunes but I'm here to tell you that if every comment-posting geek from here to Gizmodo decided to boycott iPods, Apple wouldn't miss a beat. Their target audience is mass consumer and a good deal of those users are buying iPods as their very first MP3 player. They hear podcast and assume Apple and believe me, Apple is very much aware of this. While they understand that the geek nation is completely aware of what a podcast is and how it has nothing to do with an iPod, they also know that millions and millions of "newbies" out there who are just discovering them in iTunes do not and they are moving to protect what they feel is theirs. They want to make sure that their iPod + iTunes users will not confuse what they're feeding them with anything else out there. Will they ever act on it? Who knows...it's probably more of a move that they have to make in order to make their case for trademark more than anything. Is it right or wrong? I personally think it's pretty crumby but that's only because I waste many hours of my life dealing with all things tech and know that these companies are truly doing no harm. Tommy Teenager on the other-hand would probably see the headline and think nothing of it because the only thing he knows is that podcasts are the adult swim shows that he gets for free in iTunes. Right or wrong, Apple really could care less what you guys decide to call podcasts. They'll still call them podcasts in iTunes and to their beloved audience, it's all that matters. You would only serve to cause confustion for your own product by naming them anything different simply because the mass audience will still get them via iTunes, you dig? This is and will continue to be a PR non-event out in the real world where most people have never been to Arstechnica or played with a Gizmodo. Meanwhile Apple will continue to sell more and more pretty iPods to Bob and Jane Consumer who will keep on filling them up with music, video and podcasts. I love Leo Laporte and listen to Buzz out Loud every single day. I get withdrawals when I don't. Seriously. But I'm a geek and so are we and we're the only one's listening, not everybody else. Podcasts as Apple presents them in iTunes are pushed out to a much broader audience. Take a look at the podcast section at the iTS - who's front and center? College sports, comedy central...yoga today. Oh and look, there's Katie Couric and her CBS News videoPODCAST, not netcast. Do you honestly think if Leo Laporte or Molly Wood decide to start calling their show something other than a podcast that anyone outside of us would notice?

So why don't we all just come together, sing cumbaya while listening to our sansacasts (WTF? Sansacast?) and maybe watch us some "Snakes on a Plane" because afterall, we blogospherians were the ones behind that blockbuster's success, right?

Yeah yeah yeah...so I didn't break it out into paragraphs. Believe me, I was trying to but got caught in a ***** as I had accidentally posted and then went back to try and edit it but ran out of time. That edit timer here on Digg makes me feel like I'm playing Concentration :)

a) every time i say something about a blog to a non-techie they ask me what it is, sometimes commenting that they've heard the term. podcast, same thing.

2) shouldn't even a copyright owner with a legitimate beef have to exercise their rights before something has been in common use for several years?

Marked "spam". Just a link to CBS.

CBS has been using Netcast way before Leo tried to change!

I think Netcast is fine. I'm sure Leo didn't "Steal" the word from CBS. I could be wrong, but I don't recall him ever saying that he came up with the word. He's just been saying it's a good word. I agree.

Question is, will CBS now try to trademark "CBSNetcast" or "Netcast" and start nailing anyone who tries to use Netcast?

GOOD! I'm sick and goddamn tired of these recordings being called "podcasts" like Apple invented the idea of making an audio recording of yourself and uploading it to the internet. And it's a goddamn stupid term too, "podcast" just sounds ***** retarded.

***** you Apple. You didn't invent the ***** mp3 player why should you get credit for everything. Yeah, I'm bitter, but your merchandise is built like crap and I will never own one of your products. Hippy pukes.

Wasnt there a game called POD? What do those guys have to say about all this!
What about the crappy band POD? :P

I think this whole thread has become moot. It's already been proven that Apple is in fact not trying to trademark the word Podcast or infringe upon it's use, but rather took issue with a piece of software called "myPodder" sounding too much like iPod.

http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/09/20060925232535.shtml

hmm.. what about those coffee machines that use "pods"? Are they going to get sued next?

CBS is lame

I agree with Leo NetCast sounds like what it is a broadcast on the Net.

Apple sent cease & desist letters, they didn't file lawsuits.

Inaccurate description.

Additionally, the way trademark law works, if you don't enforce it, you lose it.

It isn't using Podcast that Apple doesn't want, it's trying to trademark it.

Let's see what CBS says if I try to trademark "CBS Television Show".

How the hell is "PodCast" even 1% appropriate?

How the hell do people say it started in 2004? Haven't we all been listening to on-demand online audio feeds since 1992?

We've always called it audio streams, if we want to consolidate, I think NetCast is more appropriate. I don't care if people search Yahoo for the word PodCast, since when you do you get 12 entries into Wikipedia, a couple news articles, and a few Apple links.

NetCast sounds fine. Audcast on the other hand sounds weird and off. It'd be great to continue using podcast, but it MAY come down to a legal battle.

By the way, CBS has been using the word Netcast since day 1. Day 1 people. This story is ridiculous.

I think people should use WebCast myself. It just has sounds nicer than NetCast.