An article on Wired describes how Apple slapped a cease and desist order to stop Podcast Ready from using the terms “podcast ready” and “myPodder”. I think they are off base with that.

I can understand them trying to protect the word “pod” as it relates to music players. However, podcasts aren’t players, rather they are content for the players. Apple didn’t invent podcasts and didn’t have the first podcast player (although their introduction of podcasts to itunes did jumpstart the genre). So I don’t think they have any rights to control the term.

I agree with Leo Laporte that podcast isn’t a very good name but it’s pretty hard to get people to switch a term (e.g. hacker versus cracker) once the popular media has picked it up.

Update: a reprinted letter from Apple’s lawyers here indicates that they are not trying to restrict the use of podcasting. That’s good but I’ll keep the down arrow on this entry for now as a statement about the overuse of lawyers.