Neil HughesAttorney Michael C. Spillner, with Apple's law firm Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe sent a letter to Valleywag Wednesday evening demanding that the online publication discontinue its offer by 6 p.m. Pacific Time Thursday.
"While Apple appreciates vibrant public commentary about its products, we believe you and your company have cross the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple's trade secrets," the letter to Gabriel Snyder, editor in chief, reads. "Such an offer is illegal and Apple insists that you immediately discontinue the Scavenger Hunt."
Valleywag responded by sarcastically declaring Apple the winner of its "contest," by providing the "most concrete proof" of the tablet's existence yet through its cease-and-desist letter. But the publication said its request for information remains open.
"If you've found proof that the Apple Tablet exists and can share it with us, we're still offering prizes," editor Gabriel Snyder wrote. "Apple, of course, has plenty of good lawyers like Michael Spillner, so we reiterate our advice 'to stay within the bounds of the law.' And also: use anonymous email addresses! We can't tell Apple who you are if we don't know who you are."
On Wednesday, the publication gained publicity through its $100,000 "scavenger hunt." The publication said it would pay $10,000 for pictures of Apple's long-rumored tablet, $20,000 for a video of it in action, $50,000 for pictures or video of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs holding one, and $100,000 to let the Web site use the tablet for one hour.
With Apple rumored to hold an event in less than two weeks to unveil new products, speculation has been rampant that the tablet will see a public debut before the end of January. Reports have said Apple has rented the stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Sources also told The Wall Street Journal that the long-awaited touchscreen device would likely ship in March.
But how the device works, or even exactly what it is, remains a matter of debate. General consensus suggests the tablet will be akin to a jumbo iPod touch, with a screen size between 10 inches and 11 inches. It will act as a multimedia, multi-function device allowing users to watch movies, play games, surf the Internet, and read electronic books and newspapers.
The tablet's alleged role as an e-reader picked up steam last fall when multiple rumors surfaced that Apple had contacted print publications to make their content available on a forthcoming device. While some have speculated that the device will be a "Kindle killer", it is widely believed Apple's new hardware will do much more than offer books and newspapers.
In an interview last September, Jobs said last "dedicated devices" like the Kindle will remain niche products, while multi-purpose devices like the iPhone "will win the day." Jobs also said he believes the market for e-books is currently very small.
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Charles Martin
Wesley Hilliard
Oliver Haslam
Marko Zivkovic
Amber Neely
57 Comments
well not everyone who might have access to their products are covered by an Apple NDA so in theory someone could take a picture and not break any laws. I think that is what apple could be concerned about.
NDAs cover a company and individuals who signed them, but if you happen to be not covered by either of those then you are free to snap pictures if you like and share them with whomever you like. Now taking one and handing it over is another story.
I wonder if that's exactly what Gawker was aiming to achieve.
Also it's kind of wrong for Apple to disclose the existence of the tablet in such a manner. Something just doesn't feel right there.
Confirmation of tablet.
I wonder if that's exactly what Gawker was aiming to achieve.
Also it's kind of wrong for Apple to disclose the existence of the tablet in such a manner. Something just doesn't feel right there.
That would be the logical explanation.
Gawker is grubbing for pageviews and really nothing in the high-tech industry right now is grabbing them like Apple tablet-related articles.
The fact that Apple's counsel told a media source to stop soliciting trade secrets neither confirms nor denies the existence of the tablet, a cure for cancer, unicorns, etc.
Gawker is full of it. Nobody reads Valleywag which is the reason why they aren't a standalone website anymore, just a column for the main Gawker site. This is just a sleazy attempt at pageviews. Valleywag contributes no insight into the high-tech industry.
Gawker is just trying to jump aboard the Apple Tablet Rumor Pageview Gravy Train. They don't actually have anything to say, so they resort to this sort of pathetic grandstanding, like of like the Jon & Kate Gosselin of high-tech journalism. Typical Gawker behavior.
How can someone get paid if Valleywag doesn't know who you are?