Wired: Ads Ape Apple's Air Guitarists

Apple fans expect, even hope, that PC companies will imitate the various innovations it creates for its relatively small but loyal audience. But BuyMusic has gone a step further. After copying its iTunes music service, the PC-oriented company decided to also copy its advertising campaign. For those who can't tell by the sheer image quality, the top-right ad is BuyMusic's cover of the 2003 Apple hit "Random Guy Sings Out of Tune," which can be seen at left.

Worse still, when asked by Wired if this was deliberate, the spokesperson for BuyMusic, Stacey Doherty, said it was. A spoof? No, it was "meant to be a compliment to Apple." That BuyMusic position might change, as it is easy to foresee that Doherty will soon be emphatically disavowed by a team of hastily retained intellectual property lawyers.