Cobalt Threatens To Sue Apple, Apple Sues...Somebody?

by , 2:30 PM EDT, August 2nd, 2000

In what has turned out to be the "Young And The Restless" of the computer industry, Apple once again finds itself in the legal spotlight. However, if you thought the idea of Cobalt suing Apple to be ridiculous (something that has not actually happened yet), wait until you hear about this one.

Apparently unhappy with the quantity and quality of pre-MACWORLD information that was leaked to the press, Steve Jobs and Apple have filed a lawsuit against "...an unknown individual" for posting Apple's trade secrets on the Internet. According to Apple:

Apple today filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court for Santa Clara County, California against an unknown individual who has posted Apple’s trade secret information on the Internet. The complaint seeks an injunction against further disclosure of Apple’s trade secrets as well as monetary damages.

Even though nobody, seemingly including Apple, has even the slightest idea of who they are attempting to sue the company is looking for monetary compensation.

We could not make this up if we wanted to. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

The Mac Observer Spin:

If this was somewhere closer to April the 1st than Labor Day, we might be inclined to suggest it was a prank. As it is...

It is clear that Apple pays close attention to the Mac Web, and the rumor sites in particular. Despite Jobs' best efforts to minimize the leak of product information, last month's MACWORLD saw a host of products spoiled by the Mac rumor sites.

It is our best guess that this lawsuit is more public posturing than anything else. Depending on the results of this legal action, Apple may well indeed put itself in a position to take very serious legal action against a site or individual that provides product information and reveals trade secrets.

And, to be sure, if Apple has any legal weight to throw around the next time pictures, descriptions, or artists conceptions of unannounced products are made public, they will. Jobs has made it clear, exhibit A the ATI Radeon blunder, that Apple products are to be announced on his terms, and his terms only.

We do have some questions though. How does one sue an "unknown indivudual?" Perhaps among the Observers reading this, someone can let us know if there is more behind this strategy than we are seeing.

This is only going to get more interesting. Stay tuned.

Apple