Comments on: Apple lawsuit shutters rumor website

By: Stephen Chicago, IL

Stephen Chicago, IL — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:05:40 +0000

I didn't realize "using" the first amendment is punishable by lawsuits these days. It's a shame a kid has to go through these kinds of things if you ask me.

http://www.legalsettlementloans.com

By: Joe, Westborough, MA

Joe, Westborough, MA — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 13:21:07 +0000

I am not an Apple apologist, but the fact that CNN included Apple's letter about iPod improvements in its "Dumbest Moments in Business" list really makes me question the savvy of the people putting together that list. There are very good reasons for every company, not just Apple, to take this approach to user "suggestions." Why you ask? Suppose a company incorporates an upgrade to one of its products and it happens to to be one that was also suggested by some nutjob in one of these unsolicited letters. They could quickly find themselves in a dispute with said nutjob after s/he thinks that some remuneration is due for coming up with the idea in the first place. I'm sorry CNN, but this wasn't "dumb," just sound business practice. Unfortunately, news outlets don't seem to pick up on the smaller nuances anymore. This only made news because the correspondence was with a nine-year-old and oh god, how could a company be so thoughtless, etc… Notice the item doesn't mention if Apple knew anything about who the letter came from. Most likely, it looked like a nice enough letter very similar to the tons of other letters Apple gets with other suggestions, landed on somebody's desk in the legal department and got the form response that Apple sends to all.

ex ped: I had nothing to do with that list, but you should know that Fake Steve Jobs has already pointed out that the letter was actually written in 2006, not 2007, and for that reason alone should not have made the list. –Philip Elmer-DeWitt

By: Greg, Merced, CA

Greg, Merced, CA — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:45:48 +0000

Whether you hate or love Apple, the same attitidue from that company comes across both in the "Think Secrets" debacle as well as in this blurb from CNN's 101 Dumbest Moments in Business:

No. 51. Apple

One, two, three, four, we'll sue you if you send us more

Nine-year-old Shea O'Gorman sends a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs suggesting ideas for improving her beloved iPod Nano, including adding onscreen lyrics so people can sing along. She gets back a letter from Apple's legal counsel stating that the company doesn't accept unsolicited ideas and telling her not to send in any more.

By: Matt I, Attleboro, MA

Matt I, Attleboro, MA — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:37:23 +0000

"industrial espionage"? Get real. He didn't steal technical designs for their products, he just reported a rumored upcoming product announcement/pricepoint that turned out to be true. His sources may well be in violation of nondisclosure agreements or other contractual obligations, though.

I will admit that this is a slightly thorny area in terms of "trade secret" protection. In some cases leaking information like this could damage a company's marketing efforts (in particular, potential customers who believe a newer/cheaper product will be available soon may not want to buy one at the current prices.) It's the same sort of thing that comes up each year with Black Friday circulars being leaked early, etc. But it's not like he represented this as an official announcement from Apple; had he been completely off-base, nobody would have cared.

The problem here is that, when you come across information that *might* be considered a trade secret, there is no real way to know whether publishing it would get you in trouble in advance. Saying that journalists are not allowed to speculate about a company's future actions without approval from the company's PR department is not exactly an ideal solution, as in their opinion ANY information they did not explicitly give permission to be publicly disseminated should be considered a "trade secret". That would have a rather chilling effect on any sort of investigative journalism.

By: Darrell, Ft. Worth TX

Darrell, Ft. Worth TX — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 20:31:26 +0000

Apple and Steve Jobs in particular, should be ashamed of themselves. They are acting more like "1984" Big Brother all the time. Jobs line should be "Think Different–Think what we tell you." These people are raving fans of Apple and the only reason anyone pays any attention to them is that Apple is way too paranoid about giving information out.

Actually, what harm was done here to Apple? I bet they couldn't show 10 cents in revenue they didn't get because of this kid.

By: Shawn King, Westport, CT

Shawn King, Westport, CT — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:39:29 +0000

Minor correction: The way the article is worded, it looks like Apple sued a 16 year old rather than a 19 year old. FYI, Nick is 22 now.

And how do you know how many/what value the assets of ThinkSecret were? Assuming facts not in evidence, Your Honor.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:46:05 +0000

Apple is just as bad as MS$, may be worse since they don't care.

By: Tony - Dover, NH

Tony - Dover, NH — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:36:06 +0000

People love to throw the First Amendment around like it's the answer to everything. But plain and simple, this is industrial espionage. The kid got off lightly.