Steve Jobs action figure pulled after legal threats
The company behind the figurines, In Icons, says that though the move will disappoint Jobs fans the dolls cannot be sold without Steve Jobs’ family’s blessing.
The Hong Kong-based toy manufacturer In Icons has announced that it has halted production and sales of a lifelike Steve Jobs doll “after immense pressure from the lawyers of Apple and Steve Jobs’ family.”
The company posted a notice on its website saying that although it does not feel it has overstepped any legal boundaries, it has “decided to completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figurine out of our heartfelt sensitivity to the feelings of the Jobs family.”
In Icons says it aims to fully refund customers who have pre-ordered the highly detailed, 12-inch doll, which cost $100 and came complete with blue jeans, a black turtleneck sweater and sneakers, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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Jobs died in October 2011 after a long battle against cancer. The company had planned to begin shipping the dolls in February.
“We understand that this decision will cause many of the fans’ disappointment, but please forgive us as there is no other alternative unless to have the blessing from Steve Jobs family,” In Icons said in its statement.
Apple, of which Jobs was co-founder, chairman and chief executive, wrote to In Icons just under two weeks ago, warning that any toy resembling its company’s logo, person’s name, appearance or likeness of its products would constitute a criminal offence, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Around a year ago the technology company stopped another Steve Jobs action figure being sold by Chinese company M.I.C. Gadget.
The In Icon doll has already become a collectors item, popping up on online auction site e-Bay at a staggering cost of $2,500, PC World reported.
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