Apple Subpoenas, Sues Over Leaks 251
CNET reports that Apple has been granted the right to subpoena O'Grady's PowerPage, AppleInsider, and Think Secret over leaks of information concerning an unreleased product code named "Asteroid" and "Q97," which has been described as a FireWire audio interface for use with GarageBand. The subpoenas are related to a lawsuit against an unnamed individual who leaked the information.
Read all about it! (Score:2, Insightful)
Honestly this seems to be little more than dr
Re:Read all about it! (Score:5, Funny)
This is all part of Apple's Product Cycle [misterbg.org]. Surprised it's even news.
-Aaron
Re:Read all about it! (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Read all about it! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Read all about it! (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Read all about it! (Score:3, Insightful)
But lets take a look at hardware now. Consumer level, to be specific. Lets say it gets leaked that Appl
Re:Read all about it! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Read all about it! (Score:3, Insightful)
What Apple i
Re:Read all about it! (Score:5, Insightful)
It's quite simple, actually. Some guy posted the full specs and drawings of an unannounced product. This potentially allowed competitors to either (a) rush a similar product to market first or (b) launch a marketing campaign against Apple's yet unreleased product. In either case, it'll debut a flop, through no fault of the product itself or Apple's marketing.
Rumors are one thing. There's tons of Mac rumor sites and they get left alone by Apple. Because they're mostly about conjecture and vague bits of possible information. This guy posted something very specific, very exact, and very accurate. Apple has every legal and moral right to take him to the cleaners for violating his NDA and harming their ability to compete on a fair playing field.
This has nothing to do with PR or spin. Really, the PR is only going to be negative coming out of this (the ignorant masses will say "look at the big mean corporation beating up on the little guy!"). They are doing this to protect themselves in the future by punishing the ones who leak specific NDA information and discouraging others from doing the same.
Go get 'em!
</faggy Apple fanboy>
Re:Read all about it! (Score:2, Funny)
Some of us troll slashdot looking for boyfriends....
Re:Read all about it! (Score:3, Insightful)
What planet do you live on? Mine is the one where the "ignorant masses" have made Wal-Mart the largest retailer (and employer) in America; where everybody wants a brand name product; where people get their "news" from TV shows sponsored by giant agriculture, car and technology companies; where they watch hours of corporate commercials on TV per week.
Concern for the little guy? What year do you think this is--19
Re:Read all about it! (Score:3, Funny)
You must be new here....
Re:Read all about it! (Score:2)
difference from news (Score:2, Insightful)
Is Apple going to sue slashdot now for telling us what the lawsuits were about?
Of course all Apple has achieved is validating the rumor.
Re:difference from news (Score:5, Informative)
Re:difference from news (Score:2)
No, they're not suing the websites. They're suing the person who leaked the information, they're just trying to force the sites to tell them who that person is. Yes, they're validating the rumor, but they're probably more concerned with making sure that this person does not have the chance to leak more information at a later date.
Re:difference from news (Score:2)
Re:difference from news (Score:2)
Re:difference from news (Score:2)
What the hell are you talking about? Since when has Apple ever taken a million orders for vapor? Their policy of not commenting on unannounced products pretty much guarantees that they wouldn't be taking any orders. Do you even read your own post before you push the submit button?
Re:difference from news (Score:2)
Hyperbole.
Look it up [reference.com] sometime.
Re:difference from news (Score:2)
No Story Here (Score:5, Informative)
Re:No Story Here (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:No Story Here (Score:4, Informative)
Re:No Story Here (Score:2)
Besides, it's up to the judge to force these guys to reveal their sources, and it's within their right to plea the fifth...
Apple will get nowhere fast.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:No Story Here (Score:2)
Re:No Story Here (Score:2)
Re:No Story Here (Score:4, Informative)
This should effectively prevent congress from enacting a law that would make it illegal to refuse to name a source. You'll note that when a reporter is punished by a court for such a refusal, he is done so based on contempt of court, not for breaking any law.
Admittedly, it's a complicated issue. We want the courts to have the power to compel testimony but we also want the press to be able to do it's job.
An interesting link [findlaw.com] on the matter, especially in regards to Branzburg v. Hayes, where the Supreme Court ruled that a Grand Jury investigation could compel such testimony. Also note footnote 187, which says that over half of the states have enacted reporter shield laws.
can't blame Apple for the press on this.... (Score:2)
anyone that reads Mac rumor sites know that Apple's legal dept regularly sends them letters demanding they take down stories, specs or pictures/drawings. that would be a non-story on here.
also Apple internally makes tons of devices that never see the light of day (like a PDA recently). then there is downright false information on rumor s
Hmmm (Score:3, Funny)
I'm on Apple's side with this.... (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:5, Funny)
New Year's resolution: not buying anything from anybody filing "stunt" (Apple) or "business model" (SCO) lawsuits. I would much rather these execs just took each other out behind the woodshed, beat the crap out of each other, shook hands, drank a beer, and got on with some, oh, I don't know, INNOVATION!
Overly litigious people/companies make me sick.
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:4, Insightful)
Sure jackasses like SCO are a destructive abuse of the system, but that doesn't mean anytime a company files a lawsuit against someone that they're making the world a worse place.
Your statement about the execs duking it out behind a woodshed doesn't even make sense in the Apple case that the article is about. They've filed a lawsuit against an individual who violated an NDA. You'd rather they send some goons to track him down and beat the snot out of him?
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
Apple doesn't actually know the exact person responsible for this particular leak. They want to find out who it was, and think that some of these rumor sites might have info useful for tracking the guy down. The legal system provides ways to get at that information. Sure, Apple could've called up O'grady's powerpage and offered a shiny new G5 as a trade for the guy's na
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:4, Insightful)
Yeah! The NDA the perpetrator signed? Pointless! Why enforce contracts?
Hell, this idea is so compelling I think I'll stop paying my mortgage! Contracts mean nothing! Yeeehaw!
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
I believe just about every big company files such lawsuits. Many, we don't hear about unless they're either followups to something related (ie- leaked info about ipod flash, asteroid, etc) or something really big (ie- SCO), or something really insane (M$ suing Mike Rowe). I'm sure Sony, Toshiba, nVidia, ATI, Pioneer, etc, all have their share of similar lawsuits, we just don't hear about them
Re:I don't know about the rest of you... (Score:2)
This search has been interrupted because it will return more than 1,000 documents.
Guess I'll have to refine that a little.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re:A Judge Comments: (Score:3, Interesting)
OK, so from your post we have two things..
1. It took WAY too long to open a log file, reasonable complaint.
2. You haven't seen a justified example of why a high(er/est?) end (g5 powermac, given the 3k figure) is worth the money.
Well, I will tell you why I find my $1480 laptop well worth the money. (12in 1ghz powerbook + wifi card, 512 ram added after purchase)
1. It works. I find Apple's computers to be much more straightforward and manageable. Settings are log
Re:A Judge Comments: (Score:2)
What causes such behaviour? Too much egg nog at the office xmas party maybe?
Re:A Judge Comments: (Score:2)
How will they track him down? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How will they track him down? (Score:2)
Also suing over leaked Tiger developer builds (Score:5, Informative)
Details here [com.com] and here [reuters.com].
Nothing spectacular here, since besides the obvious copyright infringement, the developer builds are released under NDA.
Re:Also suing over leaked Tiger developer builds (Score:2)
" the tracker on one of the BitTorrent sites indicated that more than 2,500 copies of one Tiger version were downloaded."
So I guess now we know how many Microsoft engineers are working on Longhorn...!
Fix the headline (Score:3, Informative)
I know it' s only 3 weeks before MWSF but let's all act like adults here: if I want fanboi I'll go to PowerPage.
I got all excited at the prospect of PowerPage finally getting shuttered. Don't let me down like that.
Least informative article blurb ever... (Score:2)
Apple has been granted the right to subpoena O'Grady's PowerPage, AppleInsider, and Think Secret over leaks of information concerning an unreleased product code named "Asteroid" and "Q97," which has been described as a FireWire audio interface for use with GarageBand. The subpoenas are related to a lawsuit against an unnamed individual who leaked the information.
So...lemme get this straight.
This article is about products that don't exist, concerning a leak about what they may contain, and a lawsuit re
And? (Score:3, Informative)
You can buy a digidesign Mbox factory package for $550. It comes with ProTools LE (the only real limit - practically speaking - is record/playback of 32 simultaneous tracks) and a crapload of really good plug-ins. And the Focus Rite mic pres are pretty nice.
I know that sounds like a commercial, but I actually own one. And I love it. My question is can Apple really compete with that? I mean, ProTools is the industry standard for digital audio recording and editing for a reason.
Then again, I suppose any "musician" who buys Garage Band isn't exactly looking to take their tracks to a real engineer or shop their creation around to record companies, and more than "graphic artists" who use MS Paint would take their creations to a printing press.
Re:And? (Score:2)
Can that compete if it does 80% of what your Mbox does?
Re:And? (Score:2)
If you don't mind doing a little eBay shopping, or even mail order after a little bit of price watching, you can pick up a Firewire 410 for around
Re:And? (Score:3, Interesting)
A "musician" is someone who makes music with the tools at hand. Not all musicians, particularly those starting out, can afford a computer as well as a digidesign Mbox, whatever that is; therefore, they make do with what they have.
Such a person
Re:And? (Score:2)
Yes, it does sound like a commericial - misinforming and misleading.
First of all the MBox does 2 channels of recording. Something that can be had for products in the $150-$200 range. Take this for example Behringer BCA2000 [musiciansfriend.com] has more features. Plus, those boxes have MIDI interfaces which the MBox does not.
They have been advertising the shit of it. Somehow somewhere someone managed to put Pro Tools as a magical word. It's all hype. Cheaper systems and software can be as much nowadays.
Personally, I think
Re:And? (Score:3, Interesting)
So, for more than twice as much, you can get something different. You don't say. Sure, the Mbox is a good package, but $500 is still a lot of money, and ProTools LE is not even remotely as easy to use as GarageBand.
I mean, ProTools is the industry standard for digital audio recording and editing for a reason.
And that reason is inertia, more than anything else. ProTools is good, yeah, but that doesn't mean it's the best for everyone in all cases.
Don't give in, go to jail! (Score:3, Interesting)
The mark of true journalists is they will not give in. Rather than revealing sources like this a good reporter will go to jail and have a comtempt of court record for the rest of his life!
This has been fought out in courts many times. I'm not sure where the law stands now (though some cases have come down in favor of the reporter in the past).
Ever notice that the media can somehow interview big names like Bin Laden (not him in particular, but others like him) that the government wants yet cannot find? Its because a reporter understands the sources are everything and if you turn on them you are sunk.
Re:Don't give in, go to jail! (Score:2)
Cool, a FireWire audio interface!!! (Score:4, Funny)
A [zzounds.com] firewire [hercules.com] device [terratec.net] for [musiciansbuy.com] musicians [robbsmusic.com]. What a great idea. That's Apple for you, always on the forefront of new technology.
Re:Cool, a FireWire audio interface!!! (Score:4, Informative)
Apple doesn't have to be first (though they sometimes are), Apple wants to be the best (and sometimes they are at that, too).
Reson Why Corproations don't choose Apple. (Score:2, Insightful)
Spelling Nazi. (Score:2)
A name? (Score:2, Funny)
Makes me think about that line in Loaded Weapon 1 when they were trying to get info from Lovitz:
"Gimme a name!"
"Weren't your parents suppose to do that?"
Right is still wrong? (Score:5, Interesting)
It's funny, Apple did everything right in this case. They filed a john doe lawsuit, then subpoenaed the web sites for information of their informant. If you had someone sign an NDA then showed them your top-secret project, would you do any less? I can see news sites refusing to answer the subpoenas as a matter of journalistic integrity in the case of a whistle blower, but this is not a case of wrongdoing, just a simple contract dispute. Despite doing everything above board here, half the posts are still criticizing Apple for trying to enforce their contracts. They did not threaten the web sites, one of which MS did just last week. They did not file any lawsuits against the web sites. What more could you ask?
Re:Right is still wrong? (Score:2)
Journalistic sources... (Score:4, Insightful)
It'll be interesting to see whether OPP, AI, and TS will stand their ground as firmly as the NYT did, or whether they roll over for the courts.
Re:Apples (Score:4, Insightful)
Not if you manage to combine the right balance of arrogance and incompetence it's not.
Re:Apples (Score:2)
# kill <missed the percent key>1<return>
Expletives deleted.
P.S. For newbs and non-*nix folks: "kill %1" kills the previous program run by the user in the background. "kill 1" kills the init process, which instantly crashed the system.
Re:Asteroid! (Score:5, Informative)
GarageBand is the audio editing/music creation application now included as part of the iLife suite of apps (along with iTunes, iDVD, etc.)
More info at http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/ [apple.com]
Re:Asteroid! (Score:3, Funny)
That's all well and good, but you still haven't answered the OP's question: what is GrangeBand?
Re:Asteroid! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Asteroid! (Score:2)
1. Am empty site owned by a squatter
2. A couple of references to an independent band.
3. Zero apple related references.
I assumed 'GrageBand' was a typo or something and guessed 'GrangeBand', which turned out to be worng.
Re:Asteroid! (Score:2)
Re:Asteroid! (Score:3, Informative)
one of the rumor sites said the code name Asteroid was a joke on the term "breakout box".
breakout and asteroid being old school video games.
breakout box being a device that has the multiple A/V ports and connects to the computer with one cable.
they seemed to imply Asteroid and Q97 were internal codenames for the device, not knowing what the shipping name would b
GrangeBand (Score:2)
I think GrangeBand is a software application for creating music that lulls cows into a false sense of security so that you can run up to them and push them over. Search for it on SourceForge or FreshMeat.
Re:well (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:well (Score:3)
Re:well (Score:2)
Fuck, that one's so bad it even breaks Google's spellchecker [google.co.nz]
(In case they fix it before you click, it asks me "did you mean confiendtial?")
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Really? Is that the end of the story? Considering they don't even know *who* the informer is, how do they know he/she signed an NDA?
For all we know, it was leaked by a janitor who saw a design document thrown in the trash.
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Just a series of guesses and assumptions, but I think they are well reasoned ones...
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Not necessarily:
Person sells stolen computer. Person who buys it finds information lurking on the hard drive and... ooh, people would like to hear about this. The person buying it may have no way to know that the computer was not sold legally.
The same could occur if an employee sells a machine (or hard drive or...) on eBay without wiping the drive. Clearly there would be an NDA violation (by the employee
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:3, Insightful)
So anybody who doesn't operate in the way you think they should is closed minded? I wonder who has the closed mind here...
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Anyone who has used a Mac in the past five years can tell you that it is about more than appearances and marketing. There is steak underneath the sizzle, as our marketing friends would say. I mean, it runs on f*cking Unix! If the Mac OS appeared out of the ethe
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Apple is certainly within their rights to sue this guy, and they have every right to guard specs about their new products any way they see fit. Along the same lines, folks like the parent poster are equally free to find that behavior a little unattra
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
73 Open Source technologies implemented by OS X
7 Open Source technologies created by Apple
I believe your quote was:
You forgot to mention that Apple has made no significant contributions to the Free Software community, while basing their own OS on Free Software projects and releasing everything they sell under Microsoft-style proprietary licenses.
I suppose staking the entire future of their company on adopting and building 80 open source technologies really does reinforce your point.
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
The 73 "open source technologies" implemented by Apple include such amazing tools like emulations of POSIX features to cover up for the fact that their kernel/linker doesn't provide them. The other items in the list are simply libraries a
Re:Who cares!? They act like a bunch of babies.. (Score:2)
You neglected the rather obscure conjunction I used in my sentance called an "and". Take another look:
I suppose staking the entire future of their company on adopting and building 80 open source technologies really does reinforce your point.
You don't have to be satisfied that Apple uses open source goodies like Apache, Bind, OpenLDAP, or emacs. You don't even have to like Rendezvous or acknowledge that the other six technologies that Apple
Re:Apple obviously dislikes the First Amendment (Score:4, Insightful)
Sorry MS fanboys, you can't brand Apple evil yet in retaliation for tarnishing the good name of M$, they are doing something they should and have every right to do.
Re:Well, that's a nice way of treating your fans (Score:4, Insightful)
Apple rumor sites hurt Apple more than help (Score:2)
People pay CLOSE attention to Apple rumors - rumors sites do more to hurt Apple than help it.
There is a difference between rumor/speculation and STEALING AND COERCING = Apple Rumor sites.
Click here for more [jackwhispers.com]
Re:Protection (Score:2)
The offense is corporate espionage (really)
You don't have to reveal any details to a public source - and really you don't have to reveal them with a subpoena. However, if this is brought to trial - Apple could sue the websites in question for distributing trade secrets.
If the websites don't cooperate, Apple could make their lives REALLY difficult by asking advertisers such as CDW/MacMall/TekServe not to advertise with them or face contr