Apple to sue Etch-A-Sketch

Electronics and software giant Apple Inc. are to sue the creators of the drawing toy Etch-A-Sketch over copyright claims.

In papers filed this morning in California, Apple claims that the Ohio Art Company stole the concept and design of their hugely successful iPad tablet.

“It not only looks like a cheap knock-off of the iPad, but even uses the same technologies as our product – namely metal and plastic,” said Apple’s legal representative Troy Brohammer Jr.

“Steve Jobs is a visionary who has shaped the modern world we live in,” said new Apple CEO Tim Cook. “But he lacked the no-holds-barred corporate lust to crush any perceived competition under the mighty boot of expensive legal action. It’s time to think different.”

The Ohio Art Company have defended themselves against the charges, claiming the Etch-A-Sketch was invented ‘in the late 1950’s by a Frenchman’ – a claim Apple’s legal team have torn to shreds. “So what, this mysterious Frenchman is a time-traveller?” countered Brohammer.

Apple have also launched legal action against Johannes Gutenberg, the 15th century inventor of the printing press, on the grounds that it shares some striking similarities with their e-book reader – as well as a lawsuit against Hans Lippershey, one of the inventors the optical lens, which Apple describe as ‘basically a bigger version of the iPhone camera lens.’