A London judge has granted a full victory to the Apple Computer company in a trademark law suit brought by the Beatles record company, Apple Corps.
The record company, which is owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the estates of George Harrison and John Lennon, claimed that Apple Computers violated a 1991 agreement between the two parties by going into the digital music business, specifically with iTunes Music Store.
The London High Court ruled on Monday that there was no violation of the agreement because the computer company used its logo in association with the store, not the music contained therein.
'We are glad to put this disagreement behind us,' said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a statement after the verdict was announced. He added, 'We have always loved the Beatles, and hopefully we can now work together to get them on the iTunes Music Store.'
Thus far, the Beatles catalog has not been made available for download on the Internet, at least not legally. The Fab Four are one of the most illegally downloaded acts according to most sources.
Neil Aspinall, the managing director of Apple Corps, has indicated that Beatles music will be made available for legal downloads after he is down re-mastering the entire Beatles catalog.
Whether or not that future includes cooperation with iTunes Music Store remains to be seen.
