is what legal? that they're using part of your surname? yes it is quite legal, although I suppose if you had a few million $ to spare you could try to bring an action against Micro$oft, but you wouldn't get very far. Were they to call it the "Polyzune" or something like that, you might have more of a case.

However the name "Zune" does raise certain issues. iPods and iTunes are names that in marketing terms point to real things, but what's a Zune? ok, it's meant to suggest tune with a 21st Century techno-gadget feel to it by the use of a Z (could have been an X or a Ps i suppose) but I'm far from convinced that the name works.

As far as the player itself is concerned, i heard that it doesn't work with Vista! blimey, talk about shooting oneself in the foot Also, it will of course just be filled with DRM-protected tunes that you can't transfer to any other format or player (well not easily) and is aimed squarely at getting the shekels in from the vast number of uninformed plonkers who just download like mad off pay sites. But it won't do anything to stop piracy as i can't see the equally vast number of people who get mp3s off P2P or ripped cds suddenly giving that up for a DRM player called "Zune"

Micro$oft are hyping the Zune like they hyped the XBox but unlike XBox, which is excellent and brought PC standard gaming to consoles, I just don't see that the Zune has anything to offer of itself or over the competition. All the blurb about it really just boils down to "play your downloaded music legally" which is just a scare tactic for the ignorant and uninformed. Not that I condone music or software piracy of course, but mp3 is not a crime per se , and I have serious doubts over the legality of DRM, which smacks more of manipulation of the marketplace by a monoploising cartel.

It won't take long and you will have to prove that you own the rights for your name; if you can't (and you will need a LOT of cash just to survive the legal controversy instead of accepting the MS-inspired deal-bargaining) you will have to pay some royalties for the right to use your name.

Sorry to be cynical; inspired by Vista-EULA

meh. I just realized i'm related to a worker in microsquish

Guess the evil empire wins this time.

yup it doenst work with Vista as is stated here lol

Billy boy: "Ok everyone, Vista is the most important thing we've done since Windows 95. We're going to try and force everyone to use it alright? Also, we've just launched out Zune, that'll show those ******** at Apple."

Staff: “So what do we do now sir?”

Billy boy: “... Let’s get an iron bar and proverbially rape ourselves and make the two not compatible with each other!”

Staff: “Brilli… wait, what?”


yea um so anyway for an proper articcle check this out Click here

Since the Zune looks like an IPod they had to call it very much not like an IPod.

They could have called it ePod or @Player or something but then everyone would immediately notice that it looked justlike an IPod.

anyhoo.... attsa mah 'pinnion.

everyone has already immediately noticed that it looks just like an iPod. Maybe they should have called it an iBox. or a Zista. or X-une.

quite apart from the name and the blatant rip-off of Apple's design, what astounds me is how late Micro$oft are coming to the party? The mp3 player market is swamped, dominated by Apple products and software, with a host of other companies such as Creative and Philips taking up the rest. True, M$ have vast resources and can market like no-one else can market, they proved that with the XBox which even they didn't otiginally think would cut into Sony's pie to the extent that it has, but then XBox had many distinct advantages over Sony. I just don't see what Zune has got to set it apart from the myriad of other players on the market, which are so cheap now that M$ can't even compete on price. unless they give one away free with every copy of Windows?

is it a case of get some market share no matter what or how much it costs? whilst they can obviously easily afford to do that, and can support the losses, it doesn't make a great deal of sense, especially in light of the player not even working with the new operating system. it's by far the most bizarre decision I've ever seen M$ make and I imagine there's more than a few execs in Redmond and Atlanta scratching their heads over this one, too.

some one uses part of your name and your annoyed? imagine how i feal, i got a hole bleedin campagain!!
Click here guess what my name is...

www.kokrull.com/freelancer home of ** uk server **


Edited by - git on 11/21/2006 3:27:14 AM

http://www.zunescene.com/comparison/

It appears it has some good features, but quite a few listed just made me go "eh?"

I did like the "comes with virus" statement - MS really shouldn't start that ball rolling, as they may have just invited serious trouble upon themselves (considering you wan wirelessly transfer files between players... am sure they've prevented that though, surely?).

I'd love an iPod or other such gizmo to listen to some music upon, but a hundred quid??

So no iPod, not even a mobile phone over here - well, I have got one - just not turned it on in 2 years now

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Microsoft is calling their new player, "the zune"

Guess what my last name is. Polozune

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*Adorns Wig* first, as to your question if thats legal, yes it is, very legal in fact, but thats more on the basis of that your name isn't a registered brand, and further on the basis, there is no viable link between your last name, and the product name. MS could just have pulled the name from their arses (which I think most companies do when they try to market new products and/or brands) slapped that on, and be off with it.

Even if it were derived from your name, if youd want a case against them, you would first have to prove the product name and/or its association with you caused you irreparable damage, whether in profession, individual being or otherwise, anything other then that, no dice im afraid.

Things like this is also primarily the case any company slaps on a sticker of "Any similarity with blablablabla... is purely coincidental" which would basically send any hopes of a case for you down the tube.

Don't blame me for being a sarcastic arseflap, just blame me for being

*removes wig*

EDIT: Mods/Admins: please check the swearfilter as my usage of a four letter c-word just got through it

Edited by - Locutov on 11/25/2006 6:32:03 PM

your wig has fleas.

yeh, it hasn't been used in such a long time, and I forgot to put in some flea repellant.

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is it a case of get some market share no matter what or how much it costs? whilst they can obviously easily afford to do that, and can support the losses, it doesn't make a great deal of sense

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While Windows is the predominant installed base and even if iTunes is Windows compatible, I think the next step in MS' strategy is to develop a codec that only runs on windows but which is tied to affordable if not practically free music and video downloads.

Of course, they need to make WMP more efficient but as they control the predominant environment in which downloads are to be made, they have a natural advantage no matter how shoddy their player is.