When Apple launched the iPhone, Cisco popped up noting they had trademarked the name and weren’t going to give it up very easily. While some may argue this is just another company trying to drive profits through lawsuits and abuse of the IP protection rules, there are now claims that Cisco’s real goal is establishing interoperability for their products with Apple’s new phone. This could get interesting.

To put it mildly, interoperability and Apple don’t exactly go hand in hand, so it remains to be seen if Cisco can be successful on this front. If Cisco can pull it off, expect legions of other suitors that have tried to establish interoperability with Apple’s leading edge products to line up as well – in the courts or otherwise. Everyone seems to want a piece, and from where I sit Apple would be better served embracing such overtures rather than resisting them. Or in other words, if Cisco can beat down the door, I hope Apple will let a lot of others follow them in.

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