Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/07/02/apple_sues_koreans_over_imac/

Apple sues Koreans over iMac knock-off

Back to those halcyon days when Apple busted anything that moved...

By John Lettice

Posted in On-Prem, 2nd July 1999 07:17 GMT

Things are clearly entirely back to normal at Apple, post-turnaround. Not only is it selling machines again, it's suing its competitors, just like the good old days. The company has filed in San Jose District Court against Future Power, Daewoo Group and Daewoo Telecom over an Intel-based iMac lookalike, the E-Power, launched at $799 at PC Expo last month. Silicon Valley-based Future Power is a joint venture company backed by Korean Daewoo. Apple claims the E-Power copies the iMac's design, and is demanding punitive damages. Suing over the design of a computer might seem implausible, but Apple's iMac is so distinctive that anything in similar packaging is going to look like a knock-off. Somewhat implausibly, considering that the E-Power is a dead ringer, and was pitched as an iMac-style machine at PC Expo, a Daewoo statement yesterday said: "Our product is based on a totally different concept from the iMac." The total difference is not specified. Like the iMac, the E-Power comes in five colours too. If Apple can make the suit stick, it will help the company head-off impending waves of Korean-built iMac clones, using those nasty x86 things and undercutting Apple's nice margins. Yes, the good old days are back... ®