After receiving an ominous note from an Apple attorney, concept artist Antonio De Rosa is waiting to find out how, exactly, the company wants him to alter his photorealistic images that depict unreleased Apple products.
De Rosa said wants to work with Apple to resolve the situation. But when asked what he thinks will happen if he doesn’t make changes to his Apple concept images, he sounded slightly intimidated by the powerful tech company.
“I don’t know,” De Rosa said in an email to Cult of Mac, “but honestly I don’t want to find out.”
Apple sends concept designer nicest nastygram ever!
De Rosa finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having attracted the attention one of the tech world’s most powerful players. It remains unclear exactly what caught the eye of Apple’s vaunted legal team — perhaps a recent mockup showing a drool-worthy folding iPhone? But the request to make unspecified changes because some of De Rosa’s artwork looks “too real” certainly sounds worrisome.
When an Apple attorney contacted De Rosa earlier this week about adjusting some of his Apple design concepts, the phone call came as quite a shock. Still, De Rosa said Cupertino is being nice so far. And that sure sounds like every lawyer we know — right up until the lawsuit is filed.
If Apple has any legal standing for its actions so far, it’s not clear what they are. Apple told De Rosa it just wants to avoid confusing consumers.
A surprising call from Apple’s legal team
I received a call from an Apple attorney asking me to adjust some of my concepts because they were considered too realistic. pic.twitter.com/e5PGOVT7tj
— Antonio De Rosa (@aderosa75) August 15, 2024
In a Wednesday post on X, De Rosa expressed his surprise at hearing from an Apple lawyer about his product mockups. “I received a call from an Apple attorney asking me to adjust some of my concepts because they were considered too realistic,” De Rosa wrote. The image he included depicts his own shocked expression.
The communication from Cupertino came as such a surprise that De Rosa didn’t even believe it at first.
“I didn’t expect that: When the attorney called and presented himself [on] the phone, I believe[d] it was a joke,” he told Cult of Mac.
The call followed up on the note below, which might stand out as the nicest nastygram ever from an Apple lawyer:
“Apple appreciates your creativity and enthusiasm for the company, and does not generally object to your website or designs, but there are certain pages/designs that Apple worries may look too real, and may actually create consumer confusion,” the lawyer wrote. “Rather than request that you take them down entirely or make some kind of blanket changes, we’d rather talk through the nuances of the issue and ideally find a reasonable solution that works for everyone.”
Apple concept artist wants to cooperate
Over the years, De Rosa established quite a track record of creating cool Apple product concepts. Cult of Mac has written a lot about De Rosa’s work, going back to at least 2012, with more recent articles including his ADR Studio. (See the list of articles below.)
His design concepts for possible Apple products look so well-executed and compelling, we even profiled the artist and his computer gear in an interview we ran as a Setups post.
Once De Rosa got over the shock, he made sure Cupertino knows he’s willing to cooperate. He declined to comment on exactly which designs Apple expressed concerned about or how the company wants him to change them.
“I express my total availability to avoid any misunderstanding and miscommunication, so I’m waiting for the next steps,” he told Cult of Mac.
He described Apple’s representatives as “really kind” and “far from aggressive.” And he acknowledged that change seems inevitable.
“In the customer interest I understand that some actions need to be taken,” De Rosa said.
Why the sudden interest from Apple?
In a roundabout way, there’s no higher praise for De Rosa’s mockups than Apple’s legal department getting in his face.
“You know you’re on the right path when a legal team comes after you for being ‘too real’ haha,” quipped a commenter on De Rosa’s X post.
But that makes us wonder: Why is Apple concerned about De Rosa’s work now? Could De Rosa be working on something that comes too close to a real Apple product about to launch? After all, while Apple shut down product leakers like Think Secret in the past, the company doesn’t typically go after concept designers. At least as far as we know.
In theory, Apple could be motivated to do something like this if it thinks the designer is getting inside information, like some leakers do. Or maybe Apple legitimately thinks De Rosa’s highly realistic renders might confuse the public, as the lawyer’s note suggests.
It’s worth noting that one of his more recent designs shows a folding iPhone Air (pictured at the top of this post). Regardless of whatever Apple’s rumored folding iPhone might look like or be called, perhaps De Rosa’s rendering strikes too close to the mark for Cupertino.
Cult of Mac asked Apple for comment on the situation. We will updated this post if we receive a reply.
Read more about Antonio De Rosa and his Apple concept art
Photo: Antonio De Rosa/ADR Studio
Check out some of De Rosa’s amazing Apple concept designs: