"Podcast": noun; a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player. Etymology: iPod + broadcast (via New Oxford American Dictionary)

Podcast Ready must have been surprised to see the "cease-and-desist" letter from Apple, ordering them to stop using the terms "Podcast Ready" and "myPodder" because they infringe on Apple's trademarks and cause confusion among customers. (Podcast Ready refers both to the software that pulls RSS podcasts from the Internet onto a portable mp3 player, and to the company that offers the software.) Huh? Hasn't "podcast" been used as a generic, catch-all term to describe, well, podcasts?

Okay, sure, the word owes itself partly to Apple's iPod (and that's trademarked). But the world has also moved to the point of calling all mp3 players as "iPods", regardless of manufacturer, right? Probably not anymore. In another story, this time reported in Mac News, Apple has applied with the US Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the word "pod" (we guess in reference to its use with any gadget's name, like "iPod").

The iPod is a cool device and all - you'll hear no protest from us. And patents and trademarks, well, they're important, too, especially to protect the inventors of original ideas. But in this case, Apple may need to learn that sometimes, it's nice to rest on one's laurels, too.