Apple Settles with Mac OS X Leaker

[MacRumors]

Reuters reports that Apple has settled its lawsuit with one of three individuals who were sued for distributing early versions of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger).

News of the lawsuits were made public in December 2004 involving three men who posted developer releases of Mac OS X on file-trading sites.

Details of the settlement are limited with indications that the defendant would pay "an undisclosed sum" to Apple.

Apple has been becoming increasingly aggresive in their legal actions against software and information leaks related to their hardware and software.

[Mord]

wander how much, i suspect it would be a very little settlement as to show that he payed but apple would have no interest getting a couple of thousand dolars from a student.

edit w00t w00t

[realityisterror]

I really don't like the way Apple is starting to handle these situations. I understand piracy steals a large chunk of their money each year, but to take his/her money instead? Just give him/her a warning at least.

reality

[bdkennedy1]

Geez are the people that run this site asleep? I read this story on different sites on Thursday.

[johnnyjibbs]

While I do think that Apple's [recent] legal stance has been rather harsh, particularly with regard to the Think Secret/rumour sites stuff, but if you deliberately distribute a secretive product on the internet or otherwise, you are giving away stolen property in addition to leaking the information about it. These people need to be taught a lesson so that they won't do similar things again. You have to be tough in this instance.

[Mechcozmo]

Originally Posted by johnnyjibbs

While I do think that Apple's [recent] legal stance has been rather harsh, particularly with regard to the Think Secret/rumour sites stuff, but if you deliberately distribute a secretive product on the internet or otherwise, you are giving away stolen property in addition to leaking the information about it. These people need to be taught a lesson so that they won't do similar things again. You have to be tough in this instance.

Agreed. It is one thing to post some screen shots of Tiger... another thing to post Tiger itself.

[jared_kipe]

Well maybe the "undisclosed amount" is simply to dissuade people from doing it in the future, maybe apple hasn't gone all evil on us.

[gangst]

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

Geez are the people that run this site asleep? I read this story on different sites on Thursday.

Whereabouts were you able to read this on Thursday???

[sky131]

I read it on etrade on Thursday as well, and posted it to this site for approval then. They must have gotten busy.

[Windowlicker]

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

Geez are the people that run this site asleep? I read this story on different sites on Thursday.

I don't think anyone's making much money for keeping this site running.. so let's give the moderators a brake, shall we? It's easter after all..

[gwangung]

Originally Posted by realityisterror

I really don't like the way Apple is starting to handle these situations. I understand piracy steals a large chunk of their money each year, but to take his/her money instead? Just give him/her a warning at least.

reality

What part of "binding legal contract" are folks having a problem with?

I think the reason why Apple is getting harsher about these things is that people DON'T take NDAs that seriously.

[MontyZ]

True, this story is a little old now.

Despite whether or not Apple is justified in it's recent onslaught of litigation, the company is beginning to look like the RIAA, a mega-rich corporate bully.

Perhaps there's a better way to deal with these things, like being more careful about who gets access to sensitive or secret information, or how that information is distributed. Either Apple is very sloppy, or they have a lot of internal people turning against them. Either way, it doesn't help Apple's reputation.

[Beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by johnnyjibbs

These people need to be taught a lesson so that they won't do similar things again. You have to be tough in this instance.

Um, didn't Steve Jobs used to sell a device that let people steal long distance phone calls? Imagine if those companies had done to him what he's now doing to these people. And that was worse since Jobs was actually profiting from his illegal activity. What if someone were to do that to Apple today?

[wdlove]

Originally Posted by Beeblebrox

Um, didn't Steve Jobs used to sell a device that let people steal long distance phone calls? Imagine if those companies had done to him what he's now doing to these people. And that was worse since Jobs was actually profiting from his illegal activity. What if someone were to do that to Apple today?

This is certainly the first time that I have hear of Steve being involved in such activity. Very sad if true. Do you have a link to this allegation?

Apple is correct to go after those that would post the actual Tiger software on the internet or leak secrets. Not doing so would just invite more of the same activity.

[Lacero]

I don't exactly know how disseminating pre-builds of Tiger constitutes trade secret infringement when Apple themselves are giving builds away to anyone willing to pony up the money. This is more about money than about trade secrets.

[fixyourthinking]

Originally Posted by wdlove

This is certainly the first time that I have hear of Steve being involved in such activity. Very sad if true. Do you have a link to this allegation?

Apple is correct to go after those that would post the actual Tiger software on the internet or leak secrets. Not doing so would just invite more of the same activity.

Both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak participated in what was termed as "phreaking" or phone hacking. You used to be able to exploit dial tones and access long distance carriers switches for free. They made these devices and sold them near the Berkely College Campus.

There is a difference between what they did and what these people (Tiger leak and trade secret solicitation/publishing) - they weren't caught!!!

What they did was illegal ... but they were never caught. In the case of this Tiger Leak, this was a simple slap on the wrist, but a lesson learned for the boy who did it. In the case of Think Secret, they are blatantly and obtusively breaking the law and intentionally out to hurt Apple and their reputation. They have been caught, and recognized by the courts, for breaking several laws - solicitation for breach of contract (NDA) and the Uniform Trade Secret Act for publishing the information, I suppose before all of it is over we will see Collusion, Breach Of Trust, and Libel thrown in to the mix.

[vouder17]

Originally Posted by bdkennedy1

Geez are the people that run this site asleep? I read this story on different sites on Thursday.

yeah it is a tad old... But all the latest front page headlines are old....hmm.

[Beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by wdlove

This is certainly the first time that I have hear of Steve being involved in such activity. Very sad if true. Do you have a link to this allegation?

It's not an allegation. It really happened and both Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs freely admit to doing it. It's called a "blue box" and they sold it to other students.

You can see a picture of Jobs holding one here on Woz's own website: http://www.woz.org/

You can find out more info about the Blue Box and how it works here, along with information at the bottom about how Steve Woz and Steve Jobs sold them: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/enc...l/Blue_box.htm

Steve Jobs was a lawbreaker and a thief (according to his own current definitions of those terms).

[Mechcozmo]

Originally Posted by Beeblebrox

Um, didn't Steve Jobs used to sell a device that let people steal long distance phone calls? Imagine if those companies had done to him what he's now doing to these people. And that was worse since Jobs was actually profiting from his illegal activity. What if someone were to do that to Apple today?

The blue box! He called the pope and pretended to be Kissinger one time to prove it worked, but chickened out after they went to fetch the Pope...

Apple's founders are a lot more colorful than some other CEOs and founders around today...

[fixyourthinking]

Originally Posted by Mechcozmo

The blue box! He called the pope and pretended to be Kissinger one time to prove it worked, but chickened out after they went to fetch the Pope...

Apple's founders are a lot more colorful than some other CEOs and founders around today...

Actually they sold a bunch of them too ... at least as far as legend reads

[Cheese]

Obviously Apple felt that anyone who would buy a bootleg copy of Tiger would likely be interested in exploiting the hack aspect of the new OSX. Whether or not you are a theif, if someone hits a nerve, you feel it. It doesn't matter about the past games from the college days of the "2- Steve's". They didn't have millions of their own users with a heavy stake in their operation at the time, and they likely did not profit greatly from there recreational "Phreaking" pranks. Crime is crime, but I say, a crime should be punished in direct proportion to the number of people it can affect, and the severity of impact it inflicts on it's victims. jusmy2cents...

I think that the exploitation of corporate America by microsuck will be eventually discovered as one of the greatest crimes against humanity. But that is Definitely another thread...

[PlaceofDis]

well at least this is over and done with, they still have plenty more legal issues to plow through

these 'problems' may look bad because they are a big company but to survive its a necessity

[Beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by adzoox

There is a difference between what they did and what these people (Tiger leak and trade secret solicitation/publishing) - they weren't caught!!!

So they didn't get caught and that is the difference that makes Jobs not a hypocrite? That's pretty weak, even by usual Apple sycophant standards.

By that rationale then, all those millions of music downloaders aren't really doing anything wrong either, right? It's only wrong if you get caught, so why does Steve Jobs have such a problem with them? Why does he refer to the ones who aren't caught as thieves?

[Beeblebrox]

Originally Posted by Cheese

They didn't have millions of their own users with a heavy stake in their operation at the time

No, but those phone companies they stole from certainly did. What they did wasn't any different than a music downloader (except that they actually sold them and made money, which is arguably worse).

Obviously Jobs is in a different position, and one that he must protect. Having a maleable moral compass that says it's okay to steal as long as you're doing it to someone else and they're not doing it you is understandable, but hardly worth the devoted apologies Jobs enjoys from his sizable following.

I think that the exploitation of corporate America by microsuck will be eventually discovered as one of the greatest crimes against humanity. But that is Definitely another thread...

Name one thing M$ does that Apple doesn't do or wouldn't do in their position of market share dominance. These corporations are all the same. It's about the bottom line, period. The only difference between M$ and Apple is better marketing.

[~loserman~]

Originally Posted by Beeblebrox

So they didn't get caught and that is the difference that makes Jobs not a hypocrite? That's pretty weak, even by usual Apple sycophant standards.

By that rationale then, all those millions of music downloaders aren't really doing anything wrong either, right? It's only wrong if you get caught, so why does Steve Jobs have such a problem with them? Why does he refer to the ones who aren't caught as thieves?

You are on track here.

I would further add that the thinking of guys like WOZ and JOBS back in their phreaking days was like this.....

It was OK for them to do it back then because they "were cool" and they were the downtrodden non establishment guys sticking it to the evil big businesses.

The difference now is the shoe is on the other foot and now JOBS is the establishment.