Excerpts from Apple’s letter to Valleywag.com’s parent Gawker Media:
While Apple values and appreciates vibrant public commentary about its products, we believe you and your company have crossed the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple’s trade secrets. Such an offer is illegal and Apple insists that you immediately discontinue the Scavenger Hunt.
[…]
The information you are willing to pay for, such as photos of a yet-to-be released product, constitutes Apple trade secrets.
[…]
Apple has maintained the types of information and things you are soliciting—”how it’ll work, its size, the name, the software,” as well as any possible details about the product’s appearance, features, and physical samples—in strict confidence.”
“Sure, it could be a note protesting the scavenger hunt in principle, speaking to any and all confidential knowledge of any unreleased Apple product, but this scavenger hunt is purely for Tablet evidence,” Diaz reports. “And, do companies send C&Ds for non existent devices? Not in our experience.”
Full article, with the letter, here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “CYxodos” for the heads up.]
Apple just allowed a controlled leak or carrot for us.
THANKS APPLE!
meh. we’ll see in a couple o’ weeks.
HA! Was this the plan all along?
An ethical response from Apple is the correct thing to do, regardless of the “cost” of confirming the tablet.
Valleywag in my opinion acted unethically in offering money for information.
@C1
Free advertising is the cheapest form of the art. Apple do know how to leverage that well.
Add onto that the hype and energy this produces. It ensures that the announcement will be echoed far and wide for longer than the traditional product release.
I think it was a general order because Apple does have a good point. I’m certain if you put out a bounty on any product Apple will order you to stop!
sue em
then cancel the tablet to spite them.
Either way Apple would hardly want members of its own workforce or those of related companies committing illegal acts that could damage the company. Best to draw the line now.
I wish the rumor mongers would cease. The company will release their products when they are ready.
Doesn’t necessarily confirm. They could have done this to throw us off the scent just as easily.
In order to effectively respond to this type of activity, it would appear to me that Apple would have to take legal action against ithe it every time it occurred, whether the targeted device of the “scavenger hunt” is real or not.
It seems strange/ironic to me that it is apparently OK to pay employees of media outlets to seek out this kind of information (e.g., spy photos of new car models).
“of a yet-to-be released product”
!!!!!!!!!!
They could have said “unconfirmed”, but NO! YET-TO-BE released!
I am now offering up to $10,000 for photos, videos, or a chance to play with Apple’s rumored flux capacitor.
(let’s see what happens now)
I don’t see how this confirms anything – I wouldn’t want people having $100,000 of incentive to steal secrets from my company either.
I hope they do cancel it – not just to spite everyone, but because it I still don’t see how the tablet/slate will possibly ever live up to all these expectations. It’s a niche product at best, IMHO, and am still waiting for someone to convince me of it’s practical application.
Oh, “flux” capacitor — read that wrong the first time! Although once in awhile, I could use a charge!
This whole interaction (including Apple’s response) only serves to support the marketing effort and hype-generation process for the tablet. If Valleywag and the rumor mill thinks they have somehow “trapped” Apple into a confirmation, it really only confirms their subjugation to the will of the great Apple marketing machine.
Most companies struggle to make the market aware of their new products.
With Apple, the market struggles to become aware of their new products.
This simple reversal, as far as I can see, a totally, historically unique inversion of the dynamics of marketing.
I challenge someone to name another company where this has been the case?
Apple should have just said that $100,000 will not be close enough to paid for your lawyer and Apple after Apple has taken you to court.
If a Chinese company put up the bounty, it would constitute industrial espionage, international criminal offense, and possibly raise a homeland security issue. Since Gawker does not produce any real value to the society, they probably don’t care. Gawker was probably counting on a responsible response from Apple like this and purposely baited them.
re: “flux capacitor”
Isn’t there an app for that?
Apple is telling these asswipes to take their contest and shove it up their sphincter, or they will get to ante up in court.
This online feces has got to go.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Steve Jobs crucified his legal team for accidently confirming the tablet.
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Dont you know Steve Ballmer is Valleywag? It all makes sense…
In related news… Monkey Boy Ballmer tried unsuccessfully to pay gawker $10,000 to “leak” information on the upcoming Zune Phone
I wouldn’t get too excited.
Several years ago (2004 to be precise), Apple pursued ThinkSecret into the ground over an unannounced product called Asteroid that still, to this day, is unreleased.
The likelihood is probably still that we’ll see a tablet in late January, but I would neither hold my breath or put my house on it.
THe only thing this confirms is that Diaz is an idiot. I’m surprised MDN would give him any more credit than Rob Enderle by linking to his crap without a warning. Apple clearly must take issue with people placing bounties, as must any other company.
I don’t see this as a confirmation at all. If ValleyWag had offered money in exchange for apple inside information at any time I think apple would send this letter