Company asked for criminal investigation

Apple allegedly hunted down the person that found an iPhone prototype in a Redwood City bar, a source has told Wired. A person involved with the discovery claims Apple representatives last week knocked on the door of the man who found the device, asking for permission to search the Silicon Valley residence.

“Someone came to [the finder's] house and knocked on his door,” the source claims, although the visitors were reportedly denied entry by a roommate. After allegedly attempting to find the owner via Facebook and contacting Apple, the finder sought to contact the press to confirm the device's authenticity.

"The idea wasn't to find out who was going to pay the most, it was, Who's going to confirm this?" the source said.

Gawker took advantage of the offer, paying $5,000 for the device, although the source suggests the money was not for a "sale" and only represented a transaction for the exclusivity of the story. “It was made very explicit that Gizmodo was to help the finder return the phone to its rightful owner or give it back."

A separate report from the San Jose Business Journal confirms that Apple had requested for a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the prototype transaction. Despite the company's demand for an inquiry, the DA has yet to classify the events as criminal or file charges against any of the involved individuals.

The careful labeling of the case has not stopped California's Rapid Enforcement and Allied Computer Team (REACT) from serving a search warrant on the home of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen. The task force seized several computers, servers, documents, and other items from the home. The DA office acknowledged that the prosecutor for the case was aware of state and federal laws that typically shield journalists from warrants.

The EFF and Gawker attorneys voiced criticism over the raid, arguing that Chen's home and computers are protected by the shield laws which would require the government to first file a subpoena. The DA agreed to look further into the issue before searching the seized property for evidence.

by MacNN Staff