Apple Pushes to Unmask Product Leaker 255
Zack Wells writes "Should online journalists receive the same rights as traditional reporters?
Apple claims they should not. Its lawyers say in court documents that Web scribes are not 'legitimate members of the press' when they reveal details about forthcoming products that the company would prefer to keep confidential. That argument has drawn stiff opposition from bloggers and traditional journalists.
This is related to a case of an Apple news site, PowerPage.org, who leaked information about a FireWire audio interface for GarageBand that has been codenamed 'Asteroid.' The subpoena is on hold during the appeal.
In the lawsuit, filed in late 2004, Apple is not suing the Mac news sites directly, but instead has focused on still-unnamed 'John Doe' defendants. The subpoena has been sent to Nfox.com, PowerPage's e-mail provider, which says it will comply if legally permitted."
Am I missing something? (Score:5, Interesting)
But I have to ask if that person had gone to a newspaper where would we be legally?
Fairness in freedom of speech? (Score:4, Interesting)
That was changed.
Being that the online world is intensly different to RL, i would have suggested that certain aspects of everything should be governed differently on the net as in RL
Different countries have different laws...prephaps we should think of the net as a 'different country' in its own right, as opposed to an extension of the host country? And thusly, apply a separate set of laws.
Comment removed (Score:3, Interesting)
Legally permitted?? (Score:4, Interesting)
Was that supposed to be legally compelled or is the email provider anxious to give up their information?
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Product of Intellectual Property System (Score:2, Interesting)
Time is not a car mag. Or a Mac mag, or a PC mag or any other kind of trade or consumer mag. It is one of the world's major news titles. It doesn't have the choice of putting a Mac or a Dell on its cover, it has the choice of putting a Mac or George Bush...or JK Rowling....or Manny Ramirez...or Romano Prodi...or Tom Cruise....or anyone else who happens to be top of the news agenda at the time.
With an exclusive a Mac isn't even *on* the news agenda for Time.
If you do not understand that distinction then you do not understand how publishing works.
Re:Some things I don't understand. (Score:4, Interesting)
Apple has had products incredibly close to production and scrapped them. Steve Jobs did acknowledge a year or two ago that Apple almost released a pda-like device again but scrapped it along the way. the super secret R+D lab must have tons of devices that have never seen the light of day (at least not yet).
i do agree that Apple seems REALLY REALLY hellbent on finding this specific leak. nobody but Apple insiders would know why. maybe that pool of people have possible access to other upcoming products that are a lot more important. maybe it was all a ruse to flush out a leak, maybe they are just pushing it on principle. it seems weird though. it will be interesting how it shakes out. i can see how leaking company design secrets is not seen the same as letting a reporter know that Company ABC is dumping toxic waste into a stream or leaking info about Enron's shadiness.
Re:Am I missing something? (Score:2, Interesting)
The consequences. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean Apple doesn't take action against journalists who release confidential information - good luck ever getting early info out of them again, after burning them once. Hell, Apple will burn anyone who releases confidential information - look at ATI for an example.
The problem is, Apple doesn't have a relationship with the bloggers that they can use as a carrot. The stick (litigation) is all they've got.
Re:Legally permitted?? (Score:3, Interesting)
Cnet never called me to discuss the article they wrote, but that is no surprise as they are sloppy in their understanding of the law as well.
P.S. At the very end of their article you will find a disclaimer that O'Grady now writes for them.