Apple Gets Legal on Valleywag’s Tablet Bounty
By Chris Weiss
Well, it was bound to happen. Several days ago, Gawker blog Valleywag put a sizable bounty on the Apple tablet’s head and now the legal teams are gearing up for action. The Valleywag post offers a reward ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 for pictures, video and hard proof of Apple’s tablet, which the company is expected to announce on January 27.
Taking a few days to collect its thoughts and make a move, an Apple legal representative, Michael Spillner of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, sent out a polite but poignant warning to the blog.
Part of the letter being quoted in the media reads: “While Apple values and appreciates vibrant public commentary about its products, we believe you and your company crossed the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple’s trade secrets. Such an offer is illegal and Apple insists that you immediately discontinue the Scavenger Hunt.”
The letter went on to demand that Gawker retract the offer and inform Apple if any materials leak (and, of course, refrain from publishing).
Well, if there was any doubt that the tablet exists, Apple has vanquished it. [via eWeek]
