Apple feuded with the Beatles for years over the Apple trademark. In the late 1960's, the Beatles named their holding and record company Apple Records. The dispute was only one of the obstacles keeping the band's music off iTunes.
Another problem was whether iTunes could acquire exclusive digital rights to the songs. Had the Beatles cut such a deal, it risked alienating Wal-Mart, Amazon, and scores of other music retailers online and off, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. Every so often, a rumor would emerge that Apple was getting the Beatles but years passed without a deal.
A spokesman for EMI, the Beatles record label, declined to comment.
Some Beatles fans at CNET and music industry execs said they spotted traces of the Beatles in Apple's post. A graphic of four separate clocks pointed to different times are reminiscent of the album cover of the Beatles legendary album "Help."
The Beatles Coming To iTunes
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