TiVo aping Apple?

Some one has rightly said, ‘All publicity is good publicity’. TiVo is again in the news these days for allegedly having copied Apple’s ad for iPod. Surrounded by this latest controversy, Seven vehemently refused that the TiVo ad was taken from the earlier released iPod ad and said that “there’s no copyright in an idea”.

 The TiVo digital TV recorder goes on sale in Australia on the 29^th of July for $699. Internet and television ads released to publicize this have been found to bear an uncanny resemblance to an ad for Apple’s iPod that was released some time back. The Apple ad depicted the formation of a sea of buildings made using album cover art that goes on to expand till ultimately the whole thing is sucked into an iPod. TiVo’s ad if not copied, definitely seems inspired from this ad. In it, there is similar animation but in place of album art the city is created from hundreds of TV show scenes which again end up being sucked into the TiVo. 

Even though Apple has till now made no comment on the whole issue, one is forced to think that the people at Apple must be mighty irritated as a significant reason for their unparalleled success is their ability to link with their consumers. By developing a personal and emotional bond with their users through their ads, Apple has shone great innovation in marketing their product. Simon Francis, Seven’s spokesman said that there are similarities between the two ads but no infringement on Apple’s intellectual property.

 What’s good in all this is the additional publicity that both TiVo and iPod are getting out of it.