A California judge has ruled against Apple’s request to force several bloggers to reveal the sources of confidential information leaks. The ruling overturned an earlier verdict in Apple’s favour.<\/p>\n
Apple had alleged that AppleInsider and PowerPage had violated its trade secrets.<\/p>\n
Both websites published information in 2004 about a product codenamed Asteroid or Q97, a forthcoming application that would allow users to record analogue audio within Apple’s GarageBand software.<\/p>\n
The computer maker argued that the importance of its trade secrets overruled the authors’ rights to protect their sources because the information leak amounted to theft.<\/p>\n
Apple also insisted that the publication of such material does not serve the public interest.<\/p>\n
In an apparent reference to the WorldCom and Enron scandals, Judge James Kleinberg said: “Business entities may adopt secret practices that threaten not only their own survival and the investments of their shareholders, but the welfare of a whole industry.<\/p>\n
“Labelling such matters ‘confidential’ and ‘proprietary’ cannot drain them of compelling public interest.”<\/p>\n
Although the ruling stated that several other factors in the case justified a forced disclosure, it found that the public interest outweighed those arguments.<\/p>\n
“Today’s decision is a victory for the rights of journalists, whether online or offline, and for the public at large,” said Kurt Opsahl, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who argued the case before the appeals court last month.<\/p>\n
“The court has upheld the strong protections for the free flow of information to the press, and from the press to the public.”<\/p>\n
more from [url=http:\/\/www.vnunet.com\/actions\/trackback\/2157104] Vnunet[\/url]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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