Orrick Lawyer Demands Takedown of $100K Blog Bounty Offer for Info on Apple Computer
An attorney for Apple reportedly sent a takedown demand to a tech industry gossip site, contending that Valleywag’s offer of up to $100,000 in bounty for information about his client’s much-anticipated tablet computer amounts to illegal encouragement to steal trade secrets.
In a contest announced earlier this week, the Gawker Media blog offered prizes ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 for information confirming the existence of the device, reports Information Week.
At the low end, Valleywag is offering $10,000 for “bona fide” photos of the tablet computer. At the high end, it is willing to pay $50,000 for photos or video of the device in the hands of company CEO Steve Jobs and $100,000 to someone who will “let us play with one for an hour.”
So far, the most-appreciated response apparently is the letter from Apple attorney Michael Spiller of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe, in which he demands that the contest be suspended, according to a new Valleywag post yesterday.
The post, which includes a copy of the Jan. 13 letter, congratulates Spillner for seemingly confirming the existence of the computer, which could be launched as early as later this month, and promises him a special gift basket prize that includes a DVD of Legally Blonde 2, a $25 Zune Marketplace gift card and a set of steak knives.
“Apple, of course, has plenty of good lawyers like Michael Spillner, so we reiterate our advice ‘to stay within the bounds of the law,’ ” the post continues. “And also: Use anonymous e-mail addresses! We can’t tell Apple who you are if we don’t know who you are.”
