apple news/media reports
01/05/2005, 2:20pm, EST
Wednesday, January 5th
Apple sues rumor site, adds credibility to rumors
Apple today has sued a Mac rumor site in an attempt to close down and curtail product leaks as well as help protect what it alleges to be its trade secrets. CNET.com reports that the lawsuit against Think Secret lends credibility to published rumors about its plans to offer a cheaper Macintosh and its own line of office software. "Apple on Tuesday sued the publisher of Mac enthusiast site Think Secret and other unnamed individuals, alleging that recent postings on the site contain Apple trade secrets. The suit, filed Tuesday in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, Calif., aims to identify who is leaking the information and to get an injunction preventing further release of trade secrets. However, in filing the suit, Apple identifies specific articles that contain trade secrets, indicating that at least parts of those reports are on the mark."
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With Apple stock so hot recently and priced well ahead of current earnings Apple needs to take steps to insure that market expectations don't go outside what Apple is actually planning to release, etc.
Of course the other side of this is Apple wants to control their IP and they have contract with folks to assist in that. It is obvious that contracts have been broken, so the have a legal write (in some cases a requirement) to prosecute.
But it ain't, and they know it. Especially when they have a banner on the top of their site for 'anonymous' voicemail and email.
And how addled do you need to be to not realize that Apple can subpoena the residue of your 'anonymous' info - including voice message and/or caller ID and/or IP info in the server logs when posting a form?
BTW the leak of a specific project code name, while ostensibly adding cred to their site, might also serve to trace back to particular labs or testers. We were once under NDA with Apple and the docs included a code name for the project. Depending on which Apple folk were were talking to, they also referred to that project with a number of other code names - it would certainly be a useful way of tracking the potential leakers and leak-ees.
Maybe leaking helps stock price, maybe publicly chasing the leaks does too, but mostly what helps the stock price is selling a lot of stuff and making more money. Which they'll do or not do for real on Tuesday.
And if they didn't defend their rights, those rights would evaporate practically if not legally. Just ask Mrs. Seuss.
There have been similar cases in the past with automotive rumor sites (blueovalnews comes to mind).
It should be an interesting case if it gets to trial.
go apple!