Is it just me, or is anyone else having trouble equating Apple’s attempts to learn who violated their NDA to some fansites with the Pentagon Papers? It seems the righteous indignation ought to aimed at the judge in this case: attorneys try whatever they think might work, and if they find a sympathetic judge, they run with it.
Forbes.com: Is Apple The New Microsoft?:
It’s ironic that a company as innovative as Apple Computer could have such a regressive view of the changing world of American media.
The company, led by Chief Executive Steve Jobs, won a round in its quest to force three Apple enthusiast Web sites to disclose their sources on articles they published regarding unannounced Apple products. In court filings the company argued that the Web sites were not protected by free speech because they are not legitimate members of the press.
The ruling, if it stands, will have a chilling and potentially devastating effect on not only blogs, which are growing in stature and prominence, but online media in general.
This potential threat to first amendment rights and Apple’s crackdown on Web sites that, in general, love the company and its products, do nothing to bolster Apple’s image. In fact, the company’s success of late has yielded accusations of bullying and potentially unlawful business tactics, not to mention complaints that songs purchased from its iTunes music service, the dominant digital music store, don’t work with music players other than its own. To some, that might sound like its neighbor to the north.
So some Apple employees or developers spilled some information to a couple of Apple fansites, in (I assume) violation of their NDA or other agreements. I’m not sure I see competitive business information as being as important as a lot of other secrets. This is not exactly life and death, and while I appreciate the tech press taking their “right to snoop” seriously, I’m not sure I see a connection.
This is not to say I want to see ThinkSecret run out of business or some Apple employee to be canned, but surely everyone involved knew the risk involved.
And as for the “complaints that songs purchased from its iTunes music service, the dominant digital music store, don’t work with music players other than its own” this isn’t exactly a revelation.
A shame the C|Net plug for this piece was so strong: it’s lot of noise about nothing.