RSSThink Secret settles with Apple, shuts down
By Ed Oswald | Published December 20, 2007, 11:44 AM
Apple was handed a minor victory on Thursday as the rumor site agreed to shut down, however the company will not get the identities of Think Secret's sources.
Think Secret was run by Nick Ciarelli, who started the site at the age of 13 in 1999. When Apple sued him, he was still in college attending Harvard, and the revelation that he was actually a kid for all intents and purposes shocked the media.
Ciarelli's writings have been cited frequently in the mainstream press -- including this site -- and Think Secret was regarded as one of the more reputable sources for advance news on Apple products.
Apple and Think Secret said that the agreement resulted in a "positive solution for both sides," according to a statement. "I'm pleased to have reached this amicable settlement, and will now be able to move forward with my college studies and broader journalistic pursuits," Ciarelli said.
Think Secret was sued for misappropriating trade secrets after it disclosed details of the Mac mini prior to its release at Macworld 2005. Initially, the case was quite heated for the first year but seemed to fall off the radar not soon after.
As of press time, Apple had not yet publicly commented on the settlement.
Amazing that Apple freaks out over rumormill sites like this, when Microsoft wastes no time at all blabbering about their "secret" projects to no end.
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|I have no response to this.
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|Very Putinesque of you Steve, congrats.
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|So if someone over hears something on the street or a bar they can NOT report it if it's aboot apple.. I remember Pirates of Silicon Valley tv movie and Steve Jobs tried to stop it or atleast re-write it because it did not make him look very good.. (or didn't make him look like a god that is really is)
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|Not really. Actually, if what you say in public is something that can be proven to have been leaked from controlled, secret sources, then it could qualify. Just spreading rumors without having any provable or tangible access to inside information wouldn't usually qualify.
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|I would say that if ThinkSecret obtained information through channels wherein they swore confidentiality, Apple has a right to have sued.
If Apple come up to an amicable solution, then this guy can cash in on his site and continue his career with Apple backing him.
Many people are jumping to conclusions on this. The article is in no way specific enough to make these judgment calls.
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|Where is pit-dung-o when you need him for a fanboy comment?
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|"NO WAY!! APPLE WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO IT'S FANS!!! THEY'RE SO MUCH MORE BETTER THAN M$ WITH THEIR WINDBLOWS SOFTWARE!!MEH!!"
how's that?
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|He's here trolling in an other tread.
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|and people think Microsoft is the evil one :(
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|Exactly. I don't ever recall Gates ever having delusions of Supreme Commander status anywhere near the degree that Jobs enjoys.
This guy's cheese slid off his cracker a long time ago.
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|Steve The Bully!
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|"positive solution for both sides"
WTF! How is this positive for both sides when one side ends up being shut down?
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|Apple agreed to pay for his Harvard tuition and gave him some extra cash for lunch.
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|$$$ ?
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|...but, he declined to accept the junkPhone!
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|Well, considering the money it costs for the phone as well as the voice and data plan, he still wants money left over to pay for school.
Now that this is shut down, does this mean that pre-Apple event rumors will slow down and eventually hault, because then this agreement goes to benefit 3 parties.
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