Ahh, got you. I agree they would probably look at those two scenarios differently -- although they really shouldnt. But I guess they want to keep everybody happy etc etc.
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Apple Tweaks Serial Number Format With New MacBook Pro
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Ahh, got you. I agree they would probably look at those two scenarios differently -- although they really shouldnt. But I guess they want to keep everybody happy etc etc.
For the weekend-lawyers.
Generally speaking, even if you print information obtained from a source who illegally disseminated such information to said source (such as a newspaper/blog/tv network), the entity which prints this information is not to be deemed breaking the law. However, if you find yourself in front of a judge, and he orders you to release your source, and you do not, then you face penalty, but this is separate from the original issue.
Obviously, in matters of national security or government issues, this can get dicey. But from the standpoint of a fortune 100 company trying to keep their serial number scheme a trade secret... MacRumors could have said go **** yourselves Apple. The only reason I can think of that they removed the article is because they want to remain in good standing with Cupertino.
The funny thing, that damn article was so long, I read about the first paragraph, looked at the image, then left. I wouldn't have remembered a thing. Now you have people reading it all, and copying the format (image) to their computers. I guess when we crank out these new MBP in our garages, we'll at least have the correct format for the serial number so our clones look legit.
Generally speaking, even if you print information obtained from a source who illegally disseminated such information to said source (such as a newspaper/blog/tv network), the entity which prints this information is not to be deemed breaking the law. However, if you find yourself in front of a judge, and he orders you to release your source, and you do not, then you face penalty, but this is separate from the original issue.
Obviously, in matters of national security or government issues, this can get dicey. But from the standpoint of a fortune 100 company trying to keep their serial number scheme a trade secret... MacRumors could have said go **** yourselves Apple. The only reason I can think of that they removed the article is because they want to remain in good standing with Cupertino.
The funny thing, that damn article was so long, I read about the first paragraph, looked at the image, then left. I wouldn't have remembered a thing. Now you have people reading it all, and copying the format (image) to their computers. I guess when we crank out these new MBP in our garages, we'll at least have the correct format for the serial number so our clones look legit.
DMCA takedown
Just got a DMCA takedown from Apple about reposting this original article. Probably the same one MacRumors got. So, I took it down. Can't fight the machine.
Original email....
To Whom It May Concern:
We represent Apple Inc. (Apple). It has come to our attention that a website you host, scriptedlizard.com, has posted Apple confidential trade secret information concerning Apple's serial number format at http://www.scriptedlizard.com/thevault/apple-tweaks-serial-number-format-with-new-macbook-pro.
This information is confidential and is provided to third parties only subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Dissemination of confidential information knowingly obtained or derived from someone in breach of non-disclosure obligations constitutes trade secret misappropriation. See, e.g., Cal. Civ. Code 3426.1(b)(2)(B)(iii). This information can be used in falsifying warranty claims and therefore its confidentiality is of paramount importance to Apple.
Apple therefore requests that you take steps to immediately remove this post.
The foregoing is not intended to be a complete statement of the facts, and shall not constitute a waiver of any of Apples rights or remedies, all of which are expressly reserved.
Please notify me by reply e-mail when you have complied with this demand, and feel free to contact me if you any questions or concerns.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation,
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Two Embarcadero Center, 28th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111-3823
DMCA Certification: Pursuant to Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, I hereby state, under penalty of perjury, that I have a good faith belief that the activities described above are not authorized by Apple, that the information in this notification is accurate, and that I am authorized to act on behalf of Apple in this regard.
This message and any attached documents contain information from the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP that may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and then delete this message.
Just got a DMCA takedown from Apple about reposting this original article. Probably the same one MacRumors got. So, I took it down. Can't fight the machine.
Original email....
To Whom It May Concern:
We represent Apple Inc. (Apple). It has come to our attention that a website you host, scriptedlizard.com, has posted Apple confidential trade secret information concerning Apple's serial number format at http://www.scriptedlizard.com/thevault/apple-tweaks-serial-number-format-with-new-macbook-pro.
This information is confidential and is provided to third parties only subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Dissemination of confidential information knowingly obtained or derived from someone in breach of non-disclosure obligations constitutes trade secret misappropriation. See, e.g., Cal. Civ. Code 3426.1(b)(2)(B)(iii). This information can be used in falsifying warranty claims and therefore its confidentiality is of paramount importance to Apple.
Apple therefore requests that you take steps to immediately remove this post.
The foregoing is not intended to be a complete statement of the facts, and shall not constitute a waiver of any of Apples rights or remedies, all of which are expressly reserved.
Please notify me by reply e-mail when you have complied with this demand, and feel free to contact me if you any questions or concerns.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation,
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Two Embarcadero Center, 28th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111-3823
DMCA Certification: Pursuant to Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, I hereby state, under penalty of perjury, that I have a good faith belief that the activities described above are not authorized by Apple, that the information in this notification is accurate, and that I am authorized to act on behalf of Apple in this regard.
This message and any attached documents contain information from the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP that may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not read, copy, distribute, or use this information. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and then delete this message.
I really think you should edit the email out of the post.
EDIT: Actually, as you are the intended recipient, can you redistribute it?
There's a point where you can't erase what people already know.
If the serial number format were published everywhere, it would be futile for Apple to even request removal. The internet never forgets.
If a few MacRumors users know the format, then they can make predictions on new products when we have new rumours and leaks.
If the serial number format were published everywhere, it would be futile for Apple to even request removal. The internet never forgets.
If a few MacRumors users know the format, then they can make predictions on new products when we have new rumours and leaks.
I really think you should edit the email out of the post.
EDIT: Actually, as you are the intended recipient, can you redistribute it?
Maybe Apple will send another letter to MacRumors demanding they remove my post about the letter the lawyers sent me about reposting an article in which MacRumors was contacted by Apple in the first place. Wha?
And legally speaking, it only says if I'm not the intended recipient, I can't copy or redistribute it. There is no clause which states that the intended recipient (me) has any restriction on using this information. Anyway, I wave my lawyer/client privilege, and offer to make this private information (my information) public. Now I'm gonna have to write an article on my blog about this, which is going to bring up the issue of the new serial number scheme. NObody would even be talking about this or care if Apple never told us we knew trade secrets.
PS - Oh, and for completeness, here is the email I sent directly to the lawyer. Note, that's not his real name:
Hey Mike O'Dell-
This is a ******** claim. However, I don't have the desire to get into a fight with mighty Apple Inc. I love those guys, but their tactics as of late, especially towards competition, or what they deem competition, are pretty sleazy. Besides, removing this post may help my chances of getting into the WWDC next month
The post in question has been removed from the website in question. Any questions? I would request Apple send a DMCA notice to my head, as it is currently in violation of "trade secrets" and is readily disseminating them via the mouth to every Apple customer I run into. Psst.. Apple stamps a serial number onto every piece of hardware. They use letters and numbers. They like numbers. Pass it on.
By removing this post, I'm not accepting or claiming responsibility for originally posting it. I just happen to have access to the admin area. If I ever find the culprit who posted this... he gonna get it!
PS- Any inside info on that lost/recovered iPhone 4G? Steve is boss.
Have a better day than Thai protesters,
Bryan
Good morning.
Seeing that this thread is quite old, I'm wondering is there an updated overview out there somewhere, an overview of what a given serial number of, for example, an iPhone 12-model breaks up or translates into?
I'm aware of the "chipmunk"-service link posted in here, but what I'm looking for is more like an offline table which lists the meaning behind the different parts of a current model's serial number. And, the "Beetstech"-article also doesn't cover the younger/recent years, ...
Thanks.
Seeing that this thread is quite old, I'm wondering is there an updated overview out there somewhere, an overview of what a given serial number of, for example, an iPhone 12-model breaks up or translates into?
I'm aware of the "chipmunk"-service link posted in here, but what I'm looking for is more like an offline table which lists the meaning behind the different parts of a current model's serial number. And, the "Beetstech"-article also doesn't cover the younger/recent years, ...
Thanks.
Last edited:
The Beetstech article should pretty much still apply.
- First three characters: Manufacturing location
- Fourth character: Half-year of manufacture. As of 2020, we've cycled around again and are repeating the pattern, so C would be first half of 2020, D would be second half of 2020, and so on.
- Fifth character: Week of manufacture within that half-year...digits 1-9, then letters C-Y excluding vowels and S.
- Sixth through eighth characters: Unit-specific numbers
- Ninth through twelfth characters: Model information
However, Apple is going to soon be moving to randomized serial numbers that won't reveal any of this information, a move that was supposed to happen late last year but was pushed back to sometime this year.
www.macrumors.com
- First three characters: Manufacturing location
- Fourth character: Half-year of manufacture. As of 2020, we've cycled around again and are repeating the pattern, so C would be first half of 2020, D would be second half of 2020, and so on.
- Fifth character: Week of manufacture within that half-year...digits 1-9, then letters C-Y excluding vowels and S.
- Sixth through eighth characters: Unit-specific numbers
- Ninth through twelfth characters: Model information
However, Apple is going to soon be moving to randomized serial numbers that won't reveal any of this information, a move that was supposed to happen late last year but was pushed back to sometime this year.
Apple Plans to Switch to Randomized Serial Numbers for Future Products Starting in 2021 [Updated]
In an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers, Apple has indicated that it plans to update its serial number format to a...
www.macrumors.com
Do we have any indication whether the devices coming out of Pegatron's fab are more faulty yellowish than others (e.g. Foxconn)?
Talking about "faulty", indeed I know of one case where the +/- buttons for the volume setting didn't work on a C7-manufactured device. Hence the question. But yeah, the main concern I have is still the yellow tint...
Talking about "faulty", indeed I know of one case where the +/- buttons for the volume setting didn't work on a C7-manufactured device. Hence the question. But yeah, the main concern I have is still the yellow tint...