Now do the other side
So everyone and their mother is passing on that Apple settled with one of the three Tiger defendants:
"Apple Computer Inc. said on Wednesday it settled its lawsuit with one of three men it sued for distributing test copies of the next version of its Mac OS X operating system on a file-sharing Web site.While Apple will always protect its innovations, it is not our desire to send students to jail," said Apple spokesman Steve Dowling. "We are pleased that Mr. Steigerwald has taken responsibility for his actions and that we can put this lawsuit behind us."
He also said he is the subject of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's office and he is "working toward a resolution with the federal government.
Here's the rub -- most of you are asking things I can't help with, or rather won't. I can't and won't really say much about Doug, except to say that I'm glad for their sake they're able to put part of it behind them. He has a really fascinating story -- that I promised I wouldn't relate on here and won't -- but that one day I'd hope is able to be told.
I'm not going to say much about the criminal investigation he's facing either, except to say it's just part of how copyright stuff works now, especially if one side is pushing for it. The fact that he still has some major stuff to deal with will probably be glossed over while this is posted around, but that I hope it turns out in a similar fashion. If it doesn't, it'll be tragic.
I will say that while I never actually talked to Doug, I spent quite a bit of time talking to his father via email and phone, and they're one hell of a family who impressed the hell out of me.
There was also this tidbit regarding the other two defendants:
Apple said it had no comment on the other two defendants in the lawsuit.
One of the strange things I've been getting mailed about are comments along the lines of "I figured it would end this way, that Apple really just wanted to settle after x y z". To those emailing those types of of messages, all I can say is that I hope you're right, but that it certainly wasn't the vibe they were giving originally.
Then again I'm not a lawyer, so if one lawyer calls another and is told the other party has zero interest in settling, and that they're planning on going all the way with it, perhaps they don't really mean it.
Posted by drunkenbatmanMarch 24, 2005, at 05:35 AM
Comments (8)
Posted by: eggsnatcher at March 24, 2005 07:53 AM
You don't really find out who has your back until the shit really hits the fan. I imagine many of the families behind these people had to pull together? His comment seemed forced, didn't it? Lockstep with Apple and not allowed to say any more.
Posted by: Aaron Schenkle at March 24, 2005 07:59 AM
"Only in the blog age can an intrepid journalist's call name be "drunkenbatman."
Let's not carried away, Mr. Batman is just a blogger. A really f--ing cool one (Is there an A-list or B-list for these?), but just a blogger.
Posted by: pffft at March 24, 2005 08:30 AM
I will say that while I never actually talked to Doug, I spent quite a bit of time talking to his father via email and phone, and they're one hell of a family who impressed the hell out of me.
Uh. What? How long you been sitting on *that* one? Do you know who deep throat is too? :-)
You seemed tired and scattered in this one DB. I hope you were posting at 5am because you just woke up and not getting to sleep.
Posted by: Scott Ellsworth at March 24, 2005 02:04 PM
eggsnatcher: I suspect it was carefully written by a lawyer, which is why it sounds so forced. I wonder whether it was an Apple lawyer or his own. (Settlements I have been involved with often involved an official, scripted statement.)
As far as "[Apple] always wanted [a public settlement]", I suspect that suing students was never their goal. Preventing Tiger seeds, or other proprietary goodies, from being shared publicly was, and _not_ suing students was not their highest priority.
As I said in the original discussion, the people who did this made a potentially life destroying mistake. I am glad for them that at least one of them did not get annihilated by his error, but it certainly did not have to turn out this way.
Scott
Posted by: Ankalon at March 24, 2005 09:29 PM
Aaron Schenkle,
In the words of Bill the Cat: "ACK!" Obviously you sided with Apple in those same battles of whether online news is "journalism." I view that his work in interviewing is a modern twist on classical interview journalism. I'm glad though, you must know, that his site can attract people on every side of that issue. Odd though, that you call him "f--ing cool," when you disagree with his personal views.
Ankalon
Posted by: blindsam at March 25, 2005 12:32 PM
Please keep us informed about this one, as and when you can. A lot of us appreciate your site and the information it brings us. I'm glad to hear things are going the in the direction, but I do have a cynical streak which thinks this is just a carrot to the public eye to ameliorate the rotten PR Apple's received over this one.
Posted by: Wesley M at March 26, 2005 08:03 PM
Well, I'll just say that while being a blogger doesn't automatically make you a journalist, being a blogger doesn't not mean you can't perform acts of journalism.
If DB hasn't done any journalism yet, he's come too close for me to tell the difference at times.
Only in the blog age can an intrepid journalist's call name be "drunkenbatman." Keep up the great work and kill that status quo!