Sosumi
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Sosumi is one of the system sounds introduced in Apple Computer's Macintosh System 7 operating system in 1991. It is an extremely short sample of a xylophone. The sound is still used in modern versions of Mac OS, including Mac OS X.
The sound's unusual name was coined during a trademark dispute with Apple Records, the Beatles' recording company. The two Apples have a long litigation history, and on the release of System 7 had recently settled a lawsuit over Apple Computer's addition of MIDI capabilities to their products.
Apple Records' legal team began scrutinizing every audio aspect of the computer. During the development of System 7, they objected to one of the new system beep sounds as having a name that was too musical.
The creator of the new beeps for System 7 and the Macintosh Startup Sound (http://www.whitwell.ndo.co.uk/musicthing/sounds/macstartup.mp3), Jim Reekes, had grown frustrated with the legal scrutiny and sought revenge. Reekes first quipped it should be named "Let It Beep" but renamed it Sosumi, which is a clever spelling pronounced "so sue me".
The two Apples reached an agreement in 1991. Still, Apple Records once again launched litigation a decade later when Apple Computer started selling music in the iTunes music store and the iPods. The key terms of the 1991 agreement were made public in the hearings of February 2005.
References
- Judgement in Apple Corps Limited vs Apple Computer, Inc. (http://www.courtservice.gov.uk/judgmentsfiles/j2468/apple-v-apple.htm) [2004] EWHC 768 (Ch) in Case No: HC-2003-C02428, Royal Courts of Justice
- Early Apple sound designer Jim Reekes corrects Sosumi myth (http://www.boingboing.net/2005/03/24/early_apple_sound_de.html) (Xeni Jardin, Boing Boing, 24 March 2005)