Apple forced to scrap music CDs after sponsorship logo blunder

Apple Computer has been forced to remove its name from a sponsored music CD-Rom after it realised it fell foul of an estimated 15m out-of-court settlement with Apple Records.

The computer giant had part-funded the CD-Rom, produced by new media company Sunbather. The product, called Audiorom, allows users to mix musical sounds by moving around visual icons.

The blunder was spotted after Apple had already pressed 1,000 CDs with its logo.

The broad terms of the agreement, reached in 1989, are that Apple Computer should not put its name or logo on any product carrying significant musical content.

An Apple Computer spokesman says: “This was just an unfortunate misunderstanding. The person who handled the deal is new to the company and did not know about the agreement.”

The company claims that the incident cost only 1,500 and that it is still involved in the project, although at a reduced level.

A spokesman for Apple Records says: “We would look into any published material that contravenes our agreement.”