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Apple lawsuit terminates Think Secret

updated 09:20 am EST, Thu December 20, 2007

Death of Think Secret

An Apple lawsuit has resulted in the shutdown of one of the Mac community's most popular websites. Think Secret, originally started in 1998, was at one point one of the most popular sources for Apple news and rumors, particularly because its author, Nicholas Ciarelli (also known as "Nick dePlume"), was able to uncover otherwise confidential information. It is this that resulted in Apple legal action however, after a 2004 Think Secret report in which Ciarelli revealed iWork and the Mac mini before the company could announce it a month later at Macworld 2005.

Apple continued with the lawsuit despite widespread negative reaction from the public, eventually coming to today's settlement. The terms are not entirely favorable however, as while Ciarelli has not had to disclose any of the sources that led to his 2004 story, he can no longer publish Think Secret. "I'm pleased to have reached this amicable settlement," reads a statement from the editor, "and will now be able to move forward with my college studies and broader journalistic pursuits."

 
Previous Comments

scales of justice

12/20, 09:46am reply

booo! this is the kind of thing that can make you unlove a company

chucker

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Joined: Mar 2007

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Putting words in mouth.

12/20, 09:50am reply

"The terms are not entirely favorable however, as while Ciarelli has not had to disclose any of the sources that led to his 2004 story, he can no longer publish Think Secret."

Not entirely favorable to whom? This article is certainly reading a lot into the official press release of Think Secret. Why not do what the other "news" sites have done and simply publish the entire press release from Think Secret, it isn't very long.

Roehlstation

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Joined: Aug 2001

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re: scales of justice

12/20, 09:53am reply

you are so right, companies that protect their trade secrets just tick me off.

Roehlstation

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Joined: Aug 2001

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broader journalistic

12/20, 09:53am reply

There's a very wide chasm between the journalism and the ability to spill marketing secrets on your site while conveniently gathering revenue from ad banners display.

ViktorCode

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Joined: Jan 2006

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big deal

12/20, 09:54am reply

A worthless site to begin with. But who cares. He can just start up "AppleSecretsToThinkAbout.com" and publish there.

testudo

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Joined: Aug 2001

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Baloney

12/20, 10:05am reply

A company no more has a right to secrets than a man has a right to stay in the closet. Certainly a company has a right to protect its physical documents, but if non-tangible information is overheard and passed on, it become a matter of free speech. The same for the closet case. If you don't want people talking, then you keep a low profile.

When a society starts granting corporations the right to restrict journalistic freedom, the end of freedom in general isn't far in the future -- if it isn't upon us already. There is only one candidate in the current crop of presidential aspirants who would change this, and he is widely dismissed by the (foolish) media themselves. God save us from ourselves.

TheSnarkmeister

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Joined: Jun 2007

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don't blame Apple

12/20, 10:06am reply

if you were Jobs you'd want to crush ThinkSecret too. Apple is big on revealing new products when THEY want to. This is not about revealing a new air freshener or something, secrecy is important in high tech. If you like Apple's success or AAPL's price, you should be glad they are vigilant about this.

climacs

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Joined: Sep 2001

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stan said it best

12/20, 11:02am reply

YOU b*******!

Mr. Strat

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Joined: Jan 2002

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journalistic freedom?

12/20, 11:13am reply

thesnarkmeister, does it have anything in common with ThinkSecret?

While Nick earned the right to protect his sources (the people who broke NDA) this alone doesn't make him a journalist. And, if you publish some info that is a trade secret and was procured illegally, would you be surprised to find yourself in the court?

ViktorCode

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Joined: Jan 2006

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snarkmeister

12/20, 11:15am reply

"A company no more has a right to secrets than a man has a right to stay in the closet."

Wrong. A company like Apple stands to lose revenue if upcoming products are revealed before Apple is ready to announce them or make them available for sale. If a new Macbook were revealed on Think Secret 2 months before Apple was going to announce it, that's potential loss of revenue from current Macbooks, because people would stop buying them and wait for 2 months.

Apple is entirely within their rights to protect things like that.

Johnny Niles

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Joined: Jun 2007

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