“A ripple was felt through the Mac community early this morning, as one of its oldest and best-known rumor sites announced that it would be closing its doors. ThinkSecret announced that it had settled a three-year-old lawsuit with Apple, which resulted in the site’s tipsters to remain anonymous, apparently at the expense of the site’s continued operations,” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Technica.
“ThinkSecret has a long history of reporting on rumors, successfully predicting the introduction of the Mac mini as well as iWork in 2005. That prompted a lawsuit from Apple in an attempt to identify the leakers and to stop the site from continuing to publish what Apple called ‘trade secrets,'” Cheng reports.
“Apple argued that Ciarelli solicited for inside tips on his site, which the company argued was a violation of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act,” Cheng reports. “The reaction to ThinkSecret’s closing has been mixed. Although not everyone has been fond of the site’s ‘me too’ reporting as of late, the precedent set by Ciarelli’s settlement is very troubling. With ThinkSecret down, who will Apple go after next?”
Cheng reports, “But the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Kurt Opsahl has a different perspective on why things went down the way they did, and what it means for the community. ‘I’m very happy to see that no sources were disclosed,’ Opsahl told Ars… ‘Apple was faced with losing the case and having to pay attorney’s fees,’ explained Opsahl, which is likely part of the reason why it decided to settle instead of continuing to pursue it. As for Ciarelli, ‘We understand that Nick is very satisfied with the outcome of the case,’ Opsahl said. ‘We hope that Apple learns a lesson over this.'”
More in the full article here.
Hey source!
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Speak up! Or write a book about it that only “leaks” to the torrents.
This is a non event.
MDN please post another headline.
the settlement means Apple will no longer hound Ciarelli and everyone goes home, if not happy, quietly. There’s no constitutional right to reveal trade secrets regardless of how much buzz some one is trying to make for their web site, so I won’t shed a tear to see him go.
At least they’re not running the gambit. I hate it when that happens.
Yeah, it’s a bummer. But the leakers will just go elsewhere; maybe to AppleInsider now. Apple has to sue people like Think Secret to lay a solid legal foundation for preserving its intellectual property. Now all Think Secret (or whoever) needs to do is make it clear (via a prominent, posted declaration on their home page?) that they don’t “entice” insiders to come to them.
Like spoiled celebrities who complain about the paparazzi, Apple wants it both ways: Be fascinated with us, but please don’t inconvenience us in the process of giving us all our money. Screw THAT! They can shut their pie-holes as they rake in billions.
Oops. Goof fixed here:
Yeah, it’s a bummer. But the leakers will just go elsewhere; maybe to AppleInsider now. Apple has to sue people like Think Secret to lay a solid legal foundation for preserving its intellectual property. Now all AppleInsider (or whomever) needs to do is make it clear (via a prominent, posted declaration on their home page?) that they don’t “entice” insiders to come to them.
Like spoiled celebrities who complain about the paparazzi, Apple wants it both ways: Be fascinated with us, but please don’t inconvenience us in the process of giving us all our money. Screw THAT! They can shut their pie-holes as they rake in billions.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; “or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;” or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
That includes Apple Inc.
the first amendment only applies to the government. apple can abridge the freedom of speech however it wants.
Apple Inc. utilizes “the government” in a law suit, you idiot. Who do you think enforces the result of civil suits?
apple is quickly becoming the kind of unabashed corporation we used to accuse microsoft of being: an 800-pound gorilla that likes to throw its weight around.
And, true to form, mac fanatics are becoming just as ignorant as peecee apologists.
I’ll be glad when apple becomes the apple of old again: a small niche player that made cool products for people in the know…
Apple doesn’t want people to know about its products beforehand. No surprise there.
Think Secret tries to find out, possibly illegally from insiders. The fact that Apple went after them is a surprise?
Four words can sum up this situation nicely:
Who gives a shit?
I wonder if Mr Ciarelli got some money from Apple? He seems happy that he lost a source of revenue – his website. Also, he stated that he ‘will now be able to move forward with his college studies and broader journalistic pursuits’. Did he get some money or a job offer from somewhere out of this?
The next one Apple “goes after” will be the next one who publishes information the nature of which the publishing thereof violates the Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Apple’s actions in this case were not nefarious, just a bit heavy-handed. There’s a difference between the “source” of a “rumor” and an insider violating a non-disclosure agreement. It’s the “non-disclosure” part that gets ya. That, and the part about “agreement.”
Simple.
Both sides had a case, both had something to lose, both negotiated to a mutually agreed settlement.
That’s the American Way. If either disagreed, either could have pursued it to a trial. Apple has their lawyers, Think Secret, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s lawyers, had theirs.
Now, the dumbasses at Ars and everywhere else begin their speculation without research, facts, anything. Only a collection of other bloggers online and draw suppositions and conclusions.
Ars is the anal sphincter of Mac sites.
Hmmm…no opinion for MDN?
Apple got your tongue????
dude you have no idea what you are talking about.
there is no first amendment right to free press when the person abridging that right is not a government actor. this is why a store can throw you out for saying something they don’t like.
the constitution doesn’t apply to private actors.
Only Buster seems to have any kind of moral compass, the rest of you don’t seem to.
How can soliciting/publishing infomation that is disclosed illegally be a moral thing to do?
It is different for whistle blowers as there is law that supports the reporting/leaking/gathering of information about illegal activity.
But to report/leak/gather information on legal activity in an illegal manner is still illegal. The crime was committed by ThinkSecret and the leakers. Apple didn’t commit any crimes in this case.
Apple was completely in it’s moral right to pursue this case
Just because we crave to know what Apple has coming up next doesn’t make it right to break NDA’s. Basically ThinkSecret and its informers were selling out their morals for money, or notoriety, or vendetta, etc. They weren’t righting any wrongs or doing any good.
Go to church, learn some ethics. The problem with secularism is the loss of the moral compass.
(And before anyone spouts how many atrocities churches have caused, please realize that those were committed by non-believers who claimed to be believers. “By their fruits ye shall know them.”)
MDM is next!
MDN i mean. Because they don’t have an edit function.
Fortunately, “Disgusted” didn’t write (nor read) the US Constitution. Nothing worse that an illiterate pontificator.
Don’t call me “dude.” The right of a free press means exactly that; free. If Apple has a problem with employees divulging information to the press, then that’s Apple’s problem with their employee, not with the the press or the First Amendment. Get a library card, dude.
I wonder if I could get rich by becoming the Think Secret replacement – on second thought, maybe all I have to do is threaten to do that.
Anyone have Steve’s direct line? I think I’ll give this idea a try.
Please visit this web site: thinksecretreturns.com
You will find the latest rumors, leaked directly from inside the most secure areas at Cupertino. They are all true. Very, very true.
Special note to Steve: There is a secure section of the new site just for you. Password: Send $5 Mil and this site goes away.
Sorry, Pete – beat you to it!
Stygian victory for Think Secret.
@ Disgusted…about losing your moral compass.
How do you defend ‘journalists’ or any publication bringing rumors not being moral? They are doing their job, never mind if it is one you don’t like, but it’s their job. The moral question is with the leak @ Apple. Not with ThinkSecret or any other rumor-website….
ThinkSecret seems to be morally very very correct by sticking to their principle of not revealing their sources.
We had a case in the Netherlands earlier this year where 2 journalists where locked away for not revealing sources. USA had a similar case. Personally, I put ThinkSecret in that perspective, having chosen not to reveal sources.