Apple wins lawsuit with Think Secret- we all lose

We know how serious Apple protects their upcoming releases and have always been aggressive in going after those who divulge what they feel is too much information about unannounced products.  Earlier this year they sued the long-running Apple rumor site Think Secret for divulging such advance information.  Think Secret, a site that has been in existence since 1999, announced recently that they have settled the suit with Apple and will no longer be publishing.  That's right, a popular Apple rumor fan site has been shut down by the lawyers in Cupertino for fanning the fanboy flames for Apple.  We all lose in this scenario, what the hell is Apple thinking?

Comments

[Mike Cane]

That really sucks. Apple has made a bad move.

[Woadan]

James,

Apple didn't get handed a victory by a judge. It just litigated the site out of existence. The owner of the site felt it was a victory for the site, even if a Pyrrhic one, that in closing the site down, he never revealed the identity of one of his sources, which Apple had tried to coerce from him.

This could have a very chilling effect, and only convinces me that my long-term decision to have nothing to do with Apple or its products was correct.

Apple sucks, pure, plain, and simple.

Woadan

[Harold]

Steve Jobs is a megalomaniac. He wants to control everything, from the headphones that go into your ipod, to the applications you use. He must be in total control of everything related to apple or he gets in a snit.

[bmhome1]

Apple sued Jason O'Grady of Powerpage.org THE 100% Mac fan site all the way to ONE level below THE Supreme Court before a judge had enough common sense to throw the case to the curb. His indiscretion was leaking info on a $40 GarageBand gadget that never got past development phase. Apple has a sickness at the very core.

[cr0ft]

It's not that Apple really stands out so much. It's just that the entire US is litigation-happy these days. Something wrong? Sue.

The lawsuit itself is enough punishment for any little guy. The big corporation just pours money into it, breaking the small operator without those deep pockets.

That's the same threat the RIAA uses. It's not the threat of being defeated in court that is the main deterrent, it's the threat of being broken financially just getting there. "Pay us so and so many thousand or we break you financially whether you are guilty or not." Lovely. Using the court system as a club. Smart, and completely despicable.

Though I have to admit that suing a rumor site that loved Apples products enough to dedicate time to uncover new ones seems like a spectacularly boneheaded move by Apple.