Apple-Cisco iPhone spat extended to next week

Apple Inc. has requested more time to respond to Cisco System’s lawsuit over the iPhone name, according to Cisco.
The new deadline for an agreement is Feb. 21. The previous deadline was last night.
The announcement follows what had been cozy rhetoric from both sides that they were confident of a rapid settlement.
“Cisco remains fully committed to using the extra time to reach a mutually beneficial resolution,” according to a statement on Cisco’s Web site.
Interestingly, the Cisco Web site home page prominently displays a “Featured Product” window, which today touts the company’s Linksys division’s iPhone “family,” consisting of the Voice over Internet Protocol handsets the company launched last fall. Apple’s home page has been devoted to “Introducing iPhone” since the product’s announcement in early January.
Cisco has expressed interest in making the two lines of iPhones interoperable. Given Apple’s apparent interest in controlling its device and service offerings in the market, however, such a scenario seems unlikely from a brand, marketing and business perspective.
Apple has argued that because the two products run on different networks, it has not infringed on Cisco’s trademark.
Apple’s announced iPhone has been a prominent topic in wireless circles since its announcement in early January. At the just-finished 3GSM World Congress trade show in Barcelona, Spain, major handset vendors such as Nokia Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. presented their new GSM handsets, only to have their prominent executives-in Nokia’s case, CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo-questioned about the iPhone’s impact.
In that sense, the iPhone has already arrived, maintaining a place in the spotlight previously occupied by vendors with actual products on the market.