Apple sues over Internet info leak

bobw

bobw

The Late: SuperMacMod
December 17, 2004 5:10 pm ET

Apple has filed suit against unnamed individuals who it says have tipped Apple's hand about new products by posting details on the Internet. The seven-page civil complaint -- filed on Dec. 13 with the Santa Clara County California Superior Court -- raises more questions than it answers, however.

"Apple has filed a civil complaint against unnamed individuals who we believe stole our trade secrets and posted detailed information about an unannounced Apple product on the Internet," Apple said in a statement given to MacCentral. "Apple's DNA is innovation and the protection of our trade secrets is crucial to our success."

The complaint says that "unnamed individuals" either worked alone or with others and "misappropriated and disseminated through Web sites confidential information about an unreleased Apple product," according to Reuters.

Apple said in its complaint that it hasn't identified the individual or others who it thinks did the deed, but said that it would amend the complaint when that came to pass.

Apple declined to comment further on specific details of what products prompted the lawsuit.

http://www.macworld.com/news/2004/12/17/lawsuit/index.php
 
This suggests that some rumors for the next conference are real :)
 
Nah. Apple's already confirmed it's working on a phone with Motorola.

I think it's more likely to be that Asteroid (breakout box) thing that was being talked about a month or two ago.

Kap
 
Yup, that sounds more like it. Or the flash-based iPod. That, too, could be it. Must be hardware, I guess, but nothing Apple already officially said anything about yet.
 
My guess would be the flash based iPod. With the photos going around, if it's really what it will look like. I could see them getting pretty upset over it.
 
OR

It could be an offensive move... to stop "unnamed" sources from revealing "unnamed" products prior to upcoming "unnamed" events for fear they could be listed in the "unnamed' suit.
 
Heh. :) ... You mean like a pre-emptive strike for the time between now and MWSF? That _could_ be true, even...
 
My cousin works at motorolla he told me about the itunes phone a while ago.

I also heard from him (idk where he heard maybe from his friend at an apple store) that the next inovation for the powerbooks wont be a G5 but rather DUAL G4's. Who knows if that is true or not. I haven't seen it on this board yet, but I don't really look for rumors that hard.
 
Yeah, or 8-way servers in a PowerBook housing. That could make those racks smaller. ;)

Dual-core processors from Freeway (ex motorola) are promised for the end of 2005, so I'd say that'd be a no-go. Dual processors... Well, they have been rumoured by sites like Mac OS Rumors (*cough*) for about, what, seven years?
 
That is not something that has happened only now - firiing people for info leak that is. I heard of something really scary stuff a few months back, and when some bigger people tell they don't want someone alive at all on the same planet, that pretty much sounds like someone got to a not very nice position.

Haven't looked at the rumors there. And I shall not ..
 
In my view they can count them selves somewhat lucky. If I "leak" stuff about what I do, it's a "straight to jail" without trial. A Democrat tought that one up. No kidding!
 
OK, this is some kind of weird.

A) How on earth do you file a lawsuit against someone that you don't know who they are? Only in the USA...

B) Satcomer - if you're allowed to answer this, of course - how on earth do they determine that it was you who leaked some information, if they don't hold a trial? Could someone who had a grudge against you just fake some allegations, and get you thrown in the clink with no chance to defend yourself? Only in the USA, Russia, Libya, Iran, Cuba, North Korea...
 
Of course Apple knows who they're suing; they just didnt want to say who publicly...now doesn't that make a little more sense?
 
scruffy said:
OK, this is some kind of weird.

A) How on earth do you file a lawsuit against someone that you don't know who they are? Only in the USA...
Click to expand...

Of course you can sue someone you don't know. Everywhere. It doesn't mean he will be put to jail, but you can sue "the one who broke your car" without knowing who he is.
 
scruffy said:
OK, this is some kind of weird.

A) How on earth do you file a lawsuit against someone that you don't know who they are? Only in the USA...

B) Satcomer - if you're allowed to answer this, of course - how on earth do they determine that it was you who leaked some information, if they don't hold a trial? Could someone who had a grudge against you just fake some allegations, and get you thrown in the clink with no chance to defend yourself? Only in the USA, Russia, Libya, Iran, Cuba, North Korea...
Click to expand...

A) Of course Apple knows who they are suing, and why they are doing so. They just don't want to release that information publicly, else, everyone would know what was leaked, and that it was true. They're trying to keep things under wraps as best as they can.

B) I would guess Satcomer has some sort of military cleareance. Thus, it would be pretty easy to pin whomever leaked the info. I would also go so far as to say that there would be a nice sized investigation into finding the person who really leaked info. Likely, what Satcomer meant was, that if he actually leaked info, and was found out. There would be no slap on the wrist, no lawsuit, instead, a trial and then jail if found guilty.

But, that's only in the USA.
:rolleyes:
 
Could be a "John Doe" suit. Apple doesn't have to know the identity of the leaker to know there has been a leak... but yeah, at this point it certainly sounds like they do know that identity.
 
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