Think Secret’s pseudonymous publisher Nick dePlume told ComputerWire that, We’re confident that Think Secret’s reporting is consistent with the rights protected by the First Amendment. The complaint is being reviewed, and Think Secret defers further comment until it has been analyzed. We’re seeking representation.
Think Secret was hit by a lawsuit from Apple served in the Superior Court of Santa Clara County. In the suit against the publisher of Think Secret – The Deplume Organization – as well as certain unnamed individuals, Apple said it is seeking damages as well as asking the court to force Think Secret to reveal the identity of its sources of the Apple news, which it says contains trade secrets. It also seeks an injunction to prevent further release of any trade secrets.
In launching its lawsuit Apple has inadvertently shown that at least some of the recent news posted to Think Secret’s website is accurate. Think Secret claims to have broken several stories in the past week that pre-empt what Apple is likely to launch at its forthcoming Macworld show in San Francisco starting on January 10. In the last week Think Secret has run stories claiming to reveal an upcoming Apple productivity suite, named iWork, as well as a sub-$500 computer code-named Q88.
An Apple spokesperson confirmed a civil lawsuit has been launched against Think Secret’s publisher but said it was unable to provide any additional comment at this time.
This is not the first time Apple has turned to the courts to try and stop product details being leaked before their official announcement. In December Apple asked the court to subpoena sites in order to discover the true identities of individuals who allegedly placed secret information on Internet message boards.
