Bob Dylan is suing Apple Computer Inc., claiming the company planned to steal his name for a new CD-ROM.
Apple plans to call the product "Dylan" and filed papers seeking a patent under that name, said Dylan's attorney, Joseph Yanny.Dylan, whose real name is Robert Zimmerman, wants a temporary restraining order barring the use of his name.
Apple, according to the lawsuit, also has used the names of other famous people, including Isaac Newton and Carl Sagan, "in a deliberate attempt to capitalize on the good will associated with these famous individuals."
Apple officials did not immediately return a call Thursday.
Sagan, an astronomer, sued Apple last year when he learned his name was the in-house code name for a personal computer Apple was developing. Apple agreed to drop Sagan's name.
A federal judge threw out part of Sagan's lawsuit but left intact his claims that Apple invaded his privacy.