March 4, 2005
More on the Apple trade secrets case
CNET News.com is reporting that Judge James Kleinberg did not issue a ruling today, but a ruling is expected sometime next week.
Lawyers for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is representing several of the Apple-themed Web sites, say allowing Apple to force the sites to divulge their sources, or forcing the sites' e-mail providers to give up records of their e-mails, would be deeply destructive to journalists' ability to cover business.
Apple's basic position is that the authors of these website are not real reporters and therefore should not be entitled to protections under California law and the US constitution. What a slippery slope such a ruling could create. Does one need to apply for a license to become a journalist? I guess as a lawyer I had to take the bar exam and undergo the requisite background checks, etc. But to try to certify who is really a journalist vs. non-journalist would seem a dangerous item.
The EFF website has all of the documents pertaining to this case online here.
Click here for the entire CNET News.com article
Posted by Geof at 10:01 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Bloggers not protected under California Shield Law and free speech protections in the U.S. Constitution?
News.com is reporting that a California judge has issued a tentative ruling that Apple can force three blogging sites to divulge their sources, according to reports. This case will definitely be of interest to the entire blogging community.
Click here for rest of the article
Posted by Geof at 10:25 AM | Comments (3214) | TrackBack