Sosumi
Encyclopedia
Sosumi is one of the system sounds introduced in Apple Inc.'s Macintosh System 7
operating system
in 1991, an extremely short sample
of a xylophone
, which gained notoriety in computer folklore as a cheeky response to a long-running Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
trademark conflict. The sound has been included in all subsequent versions of Mac OS, including Mac OS X
.
During the development of System 7
, the two Apples concluded a settlement agreement from an earlier dispute when Apple added a sound synthesis chip to its IIgs
machine. As a result, Apple Computer was prohibited from using their trademark on "creative works whose principal content is music".
When new sounds for System 7 were created, the sounds were reviewed through Apple's legal department and they objected that the new system sound alert "chime" had a name that was "too musical", under the recent settlement
. The creator of the new sound alerts for System 7 and the Macintosh Startup Sound, Jim Reekes
, had grown frustrated with the legal scrutiny and first quipped it should be named "Let It Beep", a pun on The Beatles' "Let It Be
". When someone remarked that that would not pass legal's approval, he remarked "so sue me." After a brief reflection, he resubmitted the sound's name as sosumi (a homophone
of "so sue me"), telling the legal department that the name was Japanese and had nothing to do with music.
Sosumi exists as an inside joke on Apple Inc.'s website as the name of a CSS
typographical
style used for legal notices such as the copyright notice:
<div class="sosumi">
<p class="copyright">Copyright © 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.</p>
...
System 7 (Macintosh)
System 7 is a single-user graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was introduced on May 13, 1991 by Apple Computer. It succeeded System 6, and was the main Macintosh operating system until it was succeeded by Mac OS 8 in 1997...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
in 1991, an extremely short sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of a xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
, which gained notoriety in computer folklore as a cheeky response to a long-running Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
Between 1978 and 2006 there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer over competing trademark rights...
trademark conflict. The sound has been included in all subsequent versions of Mac OS, including Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
.
During the development of System 7
System 7 (Macintosh)
System 7 is a single-user graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was introduced on May 13, 1991 by Apple Computer. It succeeded System 6, and was the main Macintosh operating system until it was succeeded by Mac OS 8 in 1997...
, the two Apples concluded a settlement agreement from an earlier dispute when Apple added a sound synthesis chip to its IIgs
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
machine. As a result, Apple Computer was prohibited from using their trademark on "creative works whose principal content is music".
When new sounds for System 7 were created, the sounds were reviewed through Apple's legal department and they objected that the new system sound alert "chime" had a name that was "too musical", under the recent settlement
Apple Corps v. Apple Computer
Between 1978 and 2006 there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer over competing trademark rights...
. The creator of the new sound alerts for System 7 and the Macintosh Startup Sound, Jim Reekes
Jim Reekes
Jim Reekes was a programmer at Apple Computer for 12 years. His work has significantly affected operating systems, most notably System 7 and QuickTime. He also is responsible for creating many of the system sounds for the Macintosh operating system...
, had grown frustrated with the legal scrutiny and first quipped it should be named "Let It Beep", a pun on The Beatles' "Let It Be
Let It Be (song)
"Let It Be" is a song by The Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and as the title track of their album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band...
". When someone remarked that that would not pass legal's approval, he remarked "so sue me." After a brief reflection, he resubmitted the sound's name as sosumi (a homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of "so sue me"), telling the legal department that the name was Japanese and had nothing to do with music.
Sosumi exists as an inside joke on Apple Inc.'s website as the name of a CSS
Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading Style Sheets is a style sheet language used to describe the presentation semantics of a document written in a markup language...
typographical
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
style used for legal notices such as the copyright notice:
<div class="sosumi">
<p class="copyright">Copyright © 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.</p>
...
See also
- Apple Corps v. Apple ComputerApple Corps v. Apple ComputerBetween 1978 and 2006 there were a number of legal disputes between Apple Corps and the computer manufacturer Apple Computer over competing trademark rights...
- Apple Libel dispute with Carl Sagan for a similar revenge-by-pun anecdote