Australian supermarket chain Woolworths has gone too far with its logo, according to Apple’s intellectual property lawyers. Concerned that “‘consumers may not be able to differentiate between the two brands,” Apple lawyers have told Australia’s intellectual property regulators to ban the logo. Mashable has more:

When it comes to defending their trademarks and logos, no company is more fervent than Apple. If they could challenge Victoria School of Business and Technology for having a logo too similar to theirs, then you can certainly expect them to sue Woolworths, especially if Woolworths’ trademark application is a blanket one, extending to electrical goods and technology.

Woolworths has tried to avoid using the word “apple”, and the designer of the logo, Hans Hulsbosch, claims Apple is taking things too far. ”Based on this logic, they would have to take action against every fruit-seller,” he said. However, one has to admit that the two logos have similarities, and that there’s actually a good chance (unlike the Victoria School of Business and Technology’s case) of Woolworths selling devices similar to those sold by Apple.

If Woolworths logo really looks like an apple, does that mean Apple owns the rights to all apple symbols? Apple’s legal chest-thumping seems like a stretch.

Toyota Motor Corp yesterday announced a recall of almost 96,000 Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and Scion cars due to potential accumulation of ice on their braking systems. Reuters has more:

The recall involves 2009 and 2010 model year Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix and 2008 and 2009 Scion xD vehicles, all equipped with 1.8 liter engines, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

Since the condition can happen at low temperatures, Toyota’s recall applies to vehicle owners in 19 states: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Papa John’s is offering a free pizza to any party arriving at one of their stores in a Chevy Camaro today. The Chicago Tribune has more:

Papa John’s pizza founder John Schnatter paid ($275,000) to reacquire his 1971 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. Schnatter sold the car in 1983 for $2,800 to help keep his family’s then-struggling tavern afloat and to start his Louisville-based pizza empire.

In honor of Schnatter’s reunion with his beloved ride, Papa John’s will offer a free pizza to all Camaro owners Wednesday. Pizza lovers must drive their Camaros to a Papa John’s location for verification. Not quite “cash for clunkers,” but it’s something. For more details, go to chicagotribune.com/camaro.

Forbes recently released its annual Celebrity 100 list, which uses both money and fame to rank the 100 most powerful celebrities of the year. Here are the top 10:

1. Angelina Jolie — $27 mil
2. Oprah Winfrey — $275 mil
3. Madonna — $110 mil
4. Beyonce Knowles — $87 mil
5. Tiger Woods — $110 mil
6. Bruce Springsteen — $70 mil
7. Steven Spielberg — $150 mil
8. Jennifer Aniston — $25 mil
9. Brad Pitt — $28 mil
10. Kobe Bryant — $45 mil

Celebs are still raking in unbelievable amounts of money due to long-term contracts, but Forbes says that next year, the recession might catch up with them.

See the full list here.

Fast on the heels of a Verizon iPhone rumor comes word of the iPhone Lite and Apple Media Pad. From Ars Technica:

Apple is preparing to launch not one, but two new devices according to a new rumor, one of which could be coming as early as this summer. The sources claim that one device is a smaller, cheaper iPhone while the other is a “media pad” that could let users watch HD video, listen to music, and do other fun, touchscreeny things.

From BusinessWeek’s sources, there are very few details offered on the smaller, cheaper iPhone, but the other device would be a “media pad that would let users listen to music, view photos, and watch high-definition videos.” The media pad is supposedly smaller than Amazon’s Kindle, but with a larger touchscreen. “The media pad category might go to Verizon,” one of the sources is quoted saying. “We are talking about a device where people will say, ‘Damn, why didn’t we do this?’ Apple is probably going to define the damn category.”

Are these rumors more Apple hype, or do they have potential to come true? Only time will tell.

Verizon may be coming out with its own iPhone next year. USA Today reports:

Verizon (VZ) and Apple (AAPL) are discussing the possible development of an iPhone for Verizon, with the goal of introducing it next year, people familiar with the situation say.

Jobs is on medical leave until June, but the conversations are continuing, they say. Apple declined to comment.

Nielsen’s Roger Entner, who was interviewed for the report, says that AT&T would be the biggest loser in a Verizon iPhone deal. IPhone users disappointed with AT&T’s reliability would jump ship to Verizon, the article quotes Entner as saying. Meanwhile, Apple would benefit from those users, who would need to buy new iPhones.

PC World comments:

The news about talks between Apple and Verizon could also be an attempt by Apple to enhance its bargaining position with AT&T over the exclusive contract, Redman said.

“If you talk to iPhone users, they will tell you there is no substitute for an iPhone, and without one, you are operating at somewhat of a disadvantage,” Mathias said. “That’s a reason Verizon would want to sell it.”

I hope that Apple goes ahead with the Verizon deal. It’s the best option for consumers, the industry, and Apple itself.

The new Fortune 500 is out. Energy companies won big this year, bumping former leader Wal-Mart down to fifth place.

The first ten companies on the list of the country’s biggest companies:

1. Exxon Mobile
2. Wal-Mart
3. Chevron
4. ConocoPhillips
5. GE
6. GM
7. Ford
8. AT&T
9. HP
10. Valero

If you’re scratching your head, the lists below–biggest winners and losers–will clarify things.

Below are the ten most profitable companies, according to the Fortune 500 list:

1. Exxon Mobile
2. Chevron
3. Microsoft
4. GE
5. Wal-Mart
6. Johnson & Johnson
7. AT&T
8. IBM
9. Proctor & Gamble
10. HP

Here are the ten biggest losers:

1. AIG
2. Fannie Mae
3. Freddie Mac
4. GM
5. Citigroup
6. Merrill Lynch
7. Conoco
8. Ford
9. Time Warner
10. CBS

The biggest losers list includes Coca-Cola, a couple of big media companies, Delta, and UAL. I’m stunned that the list isn’t exclusively composed of national banks.

Find the full list here.

Today’s IBM layoffs have a different nuance than most corporate axings. The company is transferring most of its global business services unit to India. From the Wall Street Journal:

International Business Machines Corp. plans to lay off about 5,000 U.S. employees, with many of the jobs being transferred to India, according to people familiar with the situation.

The technology giant has been steadily building its work force in India and other locations while reducing the number of workers based in the U.S. Foreign workers accounted for 71% of Big Blue’s nearly 400,000 employees at the start of the year, up from about 65% in 2006.

Zero Hedge’s Cornelius had this to say about the IBM layoffs:

The hullabaloo over outsourcing is completely drowned out these days (and rightly so) by discussions on the economy and there surely are many other firms who are using this as an opportunity to shift operations overseas.

The bottom line is when the economy recovers, don’t expect many of these jobs to come back.

Kurt Cagle commented:

Salaries drop for one of two reasons – either your wages remain stagnant while inflation increases, or you lose your job and are forced to take a lower paying one. When you outsource those jobs oversees, this accelerates both of these trends.

Personally, I think a critical litmus test for disbursement of government funds to companies is the requirement that those companies show that any jobs created would be in the US. Otherwise, the only benefits that would accrue would be to shareholders in the form of dividends and/or bonuses, which only exacerbates the problem.

His last idea is a good one. If the government gives money, it should be able to put conditions on that money. I don’t see how GM pouring government money into Brazil, EADS acquiring government contracts over Boeing, or rampant outsourcing are helping the national economy.

(Image: Picasaweb user Chris)

Microsoft employees have been either given too much or too little money in their severance checks–and Microsoft wants the difference back. From TechCrunch:

Microsoft has inadvertently overpaid severance to some of its recently laid off employees, and is now asking for some of the money back. It’s unclear how many of the 1,400 employees laid off last month were affected, but we’ve confirmed that it wasn’t a single isolated incident (we’ve contacted Microsoft for a response). We’re also hearing that some employees may have been underpaid as well.

While the payroll error must be irritating in and of itself to these laid off workers (severance is a sensitive subject), it appears that Microsoft HR isn’t even bothering to explain how it happened (employees are instructed to call the office, which is closed for the weekend, if they want to know the details). Given that it was Microsoft HR that screwed this up in the first place, you’d think they’d at least include the calculations they made and point out where the error took place.

Microsoft will have to sue for the difference if employees don’t hand it over. The mistake is bad PR, but shareholders would be upset if the company didn’t at least ask for the money back. Whether legal action is worth it remains another question.

The best course of action for Microsoft is to stop here and accept the loss.

A new California budget plan has been approved this morning, after 15 weeks of indecision. The Wall Street Journal reports:

California’s legislature approved a plan Thursday morning to close the state’s $42 billion budget deficit through steep cuts and new taxes, after state leaders corralled the last Republican vote needed to end a 15-week partisan impasse that has battered an already-crippled state economy.

The spending plan also includes $700 million in tax breaks for large corporations. Voters later this year will have to approve some aspects of the plan, such as a spending cap. The proposed budget outlines spending for the next 17 months. Some of the taxes and cuts will go into effect almost immediately, while others will begin July 1.

The Sacramento Bee reports on how people feel about the budget:

Even before it passed, the budget drew almost universal criticism in California, which, with 37 million residents and a gross state product of $1.6 trillion, is the nation’s most-populous state and is the equivalent of the world’s eighth-largest economy by some measures. “Certain elements of this [budget] will exacerbate future challenges, rather than minimize them, and will make it harder for California to have a healthy economy,” said Jean Ross, executive director of the nonpartisan California Budget Project. “Individuals, particularly those teachers who lose their jobs, people who depend on certain public-assistance problems, will experience a very major impact.”

Labor unions blasted the compensation cutbacks. Taxpayers associations decried new levies in one of the country’s highest-taxed states. And economists said the cuts and taxes will exacerbate the woes of a state facing rising unemployment and foreclosure rates.

So people are dissatisfied, but the government said it had to take immediate action. Sounds like the national crisis.

Why doesn’t anyone in California address the bloated state workforce and inefficient budgeting system?