“The warrant says the computer and other devices may have been used to commit a felony,” AP reports.
Full article here.
Gizmodo states, “Last Friday night, California’s Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team entered editor Jason Chen’s home without him present, seizing four computers and two servers. They did so using a warrant by Judge of Superior Court of San Mateo. According to Gaby Darbyshire, COO of Gawker Media LLC, the search warrant to remove these computers was invalid under section 1524(g) of the California Penal Code.”
Full article, with the search warrant, inventory of the seized material, Jason Chen’s account of the events, and more here.
Wow, that was swift.. more so than imminent… what was that other word again..
Is $5000 good enough for an attorney.
snappy
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they’ll return everything after they’ve made copies of his porn and display it on their website. then they’ll put up his age and his last adult friendfinder posting.
and the shi@t hits the fan……
Well, I guess we’ll soon see whether the incident was due to a conspiracy, or mixture of stupidity and dishonesty.
Well, don’t piss off the big dog….he bites hard.
I refuse to read the account on Gizmodo.
Don’t click on the link – it only rewards them with paid ad views in return for their criminal behavior.
Nail him to the wall. That was just uncool to post the pics.
Gizmodo + Steve = absolutely the winningest PR team in the market today!
Jobs’ genius keeps on giving. This is not only not over, the best is yet to come and will play out for months.
Result as planned: everybody will want the new phone.
The underlying incident was just slathered with wrongness. The person who found the device then decided to profit from it acted irresponsibly, unethically, immorally and stupidly. S/he needs to be prosecuted. And the “journalist’s” actions were similarly wrongheaded and also deserve prosecution. Assuming management and legal representation at Gizmodo, they should have known better too. There’s plenty of bigger fish to fry out there, but these total morons deserve to be punished too. This law abiding Apple lover is glad the police are looking into it.
HAHAHA, LMAO!
J A S O N C H E N S U C K S!!!
J A S O N C H E N S U C K S!!!
J A S O N C H E N S U C K S!!!
J A S O N C H E N S U C K S!!!
How’s it feel Jason? Fun? Douche.
Outstanding!
This hole thing is a piece of $h!t. Gizmodo did nothing wrong. It’s illegal to purchase an item you know was obtained illegally. However, the iPhone was left out in public and the guy tried to contact apple to get it back. Basically, the guy stumbled into the iPhone, he didn’t obtain it legally. Under CA law there may be a case against the guy that sold it for $5K, but Gizmodo shouldn’t be liable for crap.
I think maybe a few of us are looking at it from the wrong angle. What Jason did, to be honest, is partly his job. You get the shiniest tech-grail months in ahead of its due time, it’s like every tech reporter’s wet dream. Maybe it’s illegal how he had obtained it, but that’s for the judicial system to decide.
However, we shouldn’t be contemptuous or angry with Gizmodo on the same vain as we are with, say, Google with its backstabbing evil ways.
Meanwhile, I for one, find the entire situation (from German beer/Lufthansa followup, to Apple scratching their head and Woz’s T-shirt, to this police harassment) to be immensely funny so far, to be honest. No real harm done, Apple got a teaser of what the future consumers may feel about the hardware, Android ‘Incredible’ got some of its wind knocked out, and finally, it’d be fantastic if Apple somehow still manages to catch us completely off guard come summer…
So, yeah, don’t be a hater, Apple is firing on all cylinders (as the cliché goes), and we can afford to loosen up a bit as fans, so very unlike the paid shills of Google et al.
Good times…
What happens when the fuzz find Jason’s stash of kiddie porn?
His cell mates will LOVE the news… and HIM!
Sorry for double posting, MDN server was slow. I should be more patient.
When you make a standing offer to pay for stuff you know you’re not supposed to have, you should expect this to happen.
Several felonies. Buh-bye Gizmodo.
No harm done?! Are you freaking kidding me. They paid $5,000 for stolen property, which makes this a felony. They have probably violated the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.
krquet, you sir are wrong, they BOTH violated the criminal statutes and are subject to prosecution under California criminal code.
Furthermore, IF this took place over state lines, it is now a federal crime..
They are getting what they deserve, this man knowingly purchased stolen property and had the gall to blog about it. GUILTY..
Note how Gizmodo elected to blur out Jason Chen’s personal details from the documentation posted on their website.
If they’d extended a similar courtesy to Gray Powell – in other words, if they hadn’t acted like complete jerks by needlessly outing him in conjunction with this story – then maybe there wouldn’t be so many people cackling gleefully over Mr. Chen’s fate.
@REALTORben,
Stick to trying to sell abandoned houses. You know NOTHING about the laws involved here and the implications.
I don’t get the gizmodo lawyer response — this is not about revealing a source but investigating a crime that Chen might have committed. In that situation, the police can seize his equipment.
That said, I still feel bad for Chen. He was just doing what he was told by higher-ups. I know I would be bankrupt if the police took all my hard drives and equipment: how would I do any work? Scary.
Apple doesn’t screw around is the message of the day… just don’t do it, even if ya want too!
The iPhone was stolen. Who finds a phone in a bar and leaves with it?
You give it to the bartender.
Gizmodo knew the thief did not rightfully obtain the phone, they new he had no right to sell it or transfer ownership.
Covering yourself in the cloak of “journalism” does not give the right to ignore the law.
Is this for real??
I think Gizmodo’s CEO’s letter to the police is ABSOLUTELY STUPID. Unbelievably amateur and dumb.
Can’t Gizmodo hire a real freaking LAWYER to work on this and write a letter to the District Attorney? This is ridiculous.
It is so STUPID that a non-lawyer CEO or any CEO for that matter would write a letter citing both legal statutes and caselaw. SO STUPID. And sending them to the police detective? What? He’s not even a lawyer! Is this a joke? SO STUPID.
This is really getting STUPID.
I’m done with Gizmodo. They are too stupid.
Giz — and this guy in particular — was so smug and so smarmy through this whole thing that it IS nice to see him served a little fear himself.
Maybe they should have thought before that snarky PS they tacked on to their letter back to Apple’s attorneys.
F Gizmodo!! I hope Apple drags their asses through the Courts until they and Gawker Media LLC are bankrupt! Douchebags!
I gotta side with and the law here. Giz was is full knowledge of their wrongdoing from the get go. How do you say “make an example out of them” in legaleze? Oh yeah, “make an example out of them!”
I also hope they track down the equally douchy guy who conducted the back alley sale of the iPhone to the Gizmodo sleaze-balls in the first place… Gizmodo better enjoy this media coverage while they have it because I guarantee you they won’t be covering anymore events in the future.
Based on a quick look at this, it appears that the warrant was overbroad and probably faulty under California laws that give shielding to journalists protecting their sources. So, in the case of the guy who stole the iPhone (defined as not turning it over to proper authorities, in accordance with California law), this sort of search should not have been conducted.
Shield laws do not prevent journalists from being prosecuted for breaking the law, however. Receiving stolen property is a crime, and the amount that was paid for this device alone indicates that the journalist(s) knew the item was stolen or at least appearing before them illicitly.
Again, though, the warrant seems overbroad in connection with this. However, it may not be invalidated if it’s clear that the crime the police are investigating in connection with this warrant is an allegation of wrongdoing on the journalist himself, ie., receipt of stolen property.
Some are looking at this as testing whether a blogger is a journalist under California’s shield laws, but it’s already been established, generally, that they are. But courts may see this search as valid in building a criminal case against the reporter for that alleged crime.
If they do, though, that could invalidate any evidence on those machines that goes to the guilt of the guy who stole the iPhone in the first place. It’s a tricky situation prosecutors will find themselves in, and this whole search could end up being a bad idea for that reason.
He’s toast! Couldn’t happen to a nicer schmuck
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=:~)
“COO of Gawker Media LLC, the search warrant to remove these computers was invalid under section 1524(g) of the California Penal Code.” what a dumb ass?? he does not know California Penal Code. The police had warrant from the judge. California Penal Code says if you buy stolen item ( you know it was stolen), it’s a crime.
Since when is a a purveyor of stolen goods a “journalistic source”?
LAME EXCUSE from Gizmodo and their smirky Chen.
Chen is co-responsible for committing a crime, and his equipment was seized not because police searched the source of information — they seized equipment to find Chen’s co-criminal.
@ Kirk – I would question the logic of your argumentation.
To all you mindless ones reveling in this over-the-top police action, remember the guy has not been found guilty yet. This could happen to you too. Whatever the guy did, he did it openly and there is no need for this ‘investigation’ of all his gear. If found guilty he can be punished. Are you all too thick to see what this represents?
They don’t need his gear to prove the iPhone was stolen. This is just one more example of the way things are going.
@REALTORben
1.) Where’s the substantiated proof the individual who found it contacted Apple to return it?
2.) According to California law, anyone who keeps a lost object [especially if there is clear evidence of its rightful owner] (the guy obviously knew the owner was Apple, otherwise why call Gizmodo at all?), can be accused of theft, unless they make a “reasonable attempt” to return the object to its owner.
The guy who “found it” is clearly guilty of theft. Therefore, the iPhone was stolen. Gizmodo received stolen property.
Alternatively, it may be said that Gizmodo is guilty of theft as they obviously knew the owner of THAT iPhone was Apple (otherwise why pay $5,000 for it?) and with their connections, could easily have returned it. Heck, being nearby, how hard would it have been to drive over to Infinite Loop when you know you have a “special” iPhone in your hands and Apple might “appreciate” it back.
The smarter guy would have taken pictures… THEN returned it. Must’ve been a windows nerd, LOL.
I can’t wait till something of yours is “found” and never returned.
@ REALTORben : are you dreaming or what?
The one who stole the iPhone did not try to return it to the owner — Apple engineer.
Story about thief trying to reach to Apple is just obvious made-up lie for the ignorant or manipulative ones to publish it as another lame excuse for Gizmodo and their mean Chen.
@Truth
I’m not condoning the act, if you wish read my comment again. I’m just tickled by it and enjoying this silly mess unfold. I could care less about what happens to Gizmodo or Jason Chen and the lawyers working behind the scenes.
Sure, if Gizmodo had serious evil intents, they probably could have published the images only (citing unnamed protected sources), without ever admitting that they had the actual hardware in possession and had passed it along quietly to the guys who were involved with the Foxconn incident last year, maybe.
Anyway, a judicial process is now underway, and I don’t have any opinions on that either way. All I’m suggesting is, harbouring hatred against Gizmodo might be a tad over reaction by Apple fans.
MDN MW: ‘girls,’ really??
It would have been one thing if Gizmodo took some external pics of this “alleged” prototype that someone else found. But instead, they paid $5K (showing they knew it wasn’t rightfully owned) and then took it apart.
I WILL SAY IT IN BOLD:
1) JASON CHEN SHOULD BE JAILED (along with the one who stole the phone initially) AND PERSONALLY BANKRUPTED;
2) GAWKER MEDIA AND THEIR WHOLE GIZMODO TABLOID SHOULD BE BANKRUPTED.
@zek-
Yeah, we should just trust all the thieves of the world. Because only the “mindess” & “thick” would have the gall to doubt a thief’s word at face value. great argument, though, for your fear that someone’s going to come to your home and find your terabytes of kiddie porn.
finders keepers loosers weepers
We can Gizmodo goodby?
Hehe getit?
This is not the first time the COO, Chief OPERATING Officer, has weighed in on legal issues. She is a lawyer, but has no standing in this case, and should just shut up. She was the idiot that told Denton it was okay to offer the $5k to begin with, now she’s trying to justify her first mistake with another. Don’t they have a REAL legal counsel on staff?
Very funny.
If he is protected as a journalist as some claim then I’m gonna start a blog and go on a crime spree, detailing my adventures for the whole world to see. It will be fine though because I will be a protected journalist, above the law. Then when those horrible police officers raid my place, invade my privacy and human rights with a warrant signed by a judge I will sue them all, claiming I am a victim.
In the process I will get hundreds of thousands, if not millions of supporters donating $$ to my fund. Then I will write a book, and start a reality TV show criticizing and taunting the government while living safely outside it’s borders.
This is exciting!
@Don’t Click:
The link is to a Yahoo Finance page, not Gizmodo.
Sheesh. I think that, had this been a MS device, or a Google device, or anything but an Apple device, Jason would be a hero and there would be calls for justice and a free press.
I am a long time Mac, iPhone, and so on user, but also someone who would like to limit police power in this country, and certainly limit the use of police power in the pursuit of corporate interests.
But, then, hypocrisy is never a sin at MDN. Wow. Almost a rhyming slogan.
I wouldn’t credit this to Apple, nor blame them for it. This is part of what Police do – investigate criminal acts. For those thrown to think Apple is behind this, consider: If you were accosted or worse, do you think the police will ask you how to run the investigation? This is the criminal investigation. Please withhold the Apple castigation until (when or if) a civil suit occurs.
@Trvth – the first link is to Yahoo. The second one is to Gizmodo.
I’m thinking of setting up my DNS to route Gizmodo to 127.0.0.1 so I don’t accidentally give them a free page view by accident.
If I was Chen I would hang my head in shame.
Read the police report, it’s all there.
He had a Dell.
Gizmodo should be Prosecuted to the full Extent of the Law.
“Shameless What the did”
All those saying this was no big deal, let’s ask what the value of this stolen property is. First off, a prototype of this nature is probably measured in the tens of thousands of dollars when you take into account the entire prototyping process. More importantly, the intellectual property it represents is worth millions of dollars. Millions. The secrets on board that thing (advance clue as to what the NC data center is about, possible VOIP strategy etc.) would be worth millions to companies like RIMM or DELL. This is no petty theft.
And possession of stolen property is indeed a crime. Especially when you reasonably suspect the property to be stolen by, oh, I dunno paying 9x the going price for a 3GS.
Hope they didn’t forget a cavity search.
….and throw away the key.
For all you legal giants out there (including the COO/CEO? of Gizmodo), the California shield law protects journalists from having to give up their sources for stories. In order for the search warrant to be invalidated on that account Jason would have to have been merely reporting on a crime, not be a material participant in said crime. As a suspect in the completion of the crime itself, as an active participant in the crime he has no such immunity under the law. The COO/CEO? (seen it reported both ways) should be aware of the distinction, and therefor is simply making a feeble attempt to confuse the issue. She should be disbarred for stupidity if not her obvious participation in the crime (conspiracy to commit a felony).
John Gruber concisely explains why shield laws are irrelevant to this case:
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/04/26/blodget-shield-law
Journalist shield laws are about journalists being able to protect sources who may have committed crimes. They’re not a license for journalists to commit crimes themselves.
This is certainly very interesting.
Funny how Gizmodo didn’t break this story.
The guy who stole a phone and made no attempt to return it is a “source” now?
Throw’m in the klink forever. Their computers will probably show emails to all Apple competitors, evidence of attempts to sell the prototype.
Correct me if I am wrong about this. Was not this “special phone” disguised? If so, why would any “average joe” know what he had? And run straight to Gizmodo? Two thoughts come to mind. One, this was a set up by someone stalking this guy waiting for his chance to lift it. Two, like C1 thinks the whole thing is a put on by all involved.
Any average joe would have just kept it for himself, or just turned it in to the bar keeper.
@REALTORben:
Gizmodo did nothing wrong? Are you nuts? Where do you suppose Gozmodo thought this unreleased iPhone prototype came from? Did they imagine that Apple gave it to the seller? Come on!
The bloodlust around here stuns me. Yeah, Chen did something wrong, the guy who stole the phone was wrong, checkbook journalism is wrong. But really–a no-knock warrant and seizing all his computers and servers? For what is little more than petty theft? They stole a PHONE, not jewels. The thugs in uniform are overreacting, probably at the urging of the home team (Apple). I understand Apple was embarrassed, but this sort of overreaction is completely uncivil.
Does anyone here calling for, ‘Universal Bankruptcy For All’, have any idea what the LL in Gawker Media LLC stands for?
I’ll give you a hint.
LIMITED LIABILITY!
I am no lawyer or investigator…but here is my theory. What some of you fail to realize is they are searching for the name of the guy that found it…in Jason’s computers. Jason Chen is in the middle, Gizmodo is at the end.
Find the guy…charge him for selling stolen property.
Jason Chen could either be charged or fined (cuz he is the editor and authorized the transaction)
Gizmodo will have a tarnished image (may not last – but this will set a precedence for the rest of the bloggers and journalism industry) not to mention fines to pay for purchasing/buying/renting/borrowing stolen/found and not returned property.
BAZINGA!
My personal opinion is that this a direct result of the digital generations belief that music should be free, that software should be free, and that movies should be downloaded off the internet while they are still in theaters.
And yes, I HAVE engaged in some of that stuff myself, but it’s in the past. But this generation, at least when it comes to technology and intellectual property, has the belief that laws are simply suggestions, and that as long as you think something is “cool” you can do whatever you want.
They think iPhones are “cool”, so they assume they have the right to accept stolen property, and even profit from it.
We have laws for a reason. Things aren’t free for a reason, and intellectual property is guarded, for a reason. And this is a big story, the fact that any of this stuff was illegal in the first place is going to be a shocker for a lot of people in their 20s and younger.
Tired of journalists trying to hide behind shield law. It doesn’t apply when you have stolen property. They knew it what they were buying. Trying to plead innocence or invoke the shield law ain’t going to work.
The asshole that sold the iPhone instead of doing the right thing, is probably starting to sweat about now. The cops now have his communication info. Sleep tight scumbag.
@ Big Als MBP
I thought LLC only protected the individuals personal assets from seizure for acts of the corporation – not the corporation’s assets. SO, while the company itself could very well be sued into oblivion, the individuals involved could not be sued personally. They would keep all their stuff that’s not property of the corporation. Then again, I could be wrong. I thought there was something too about the corporate protection only preventing acts resulting in torts (civil actions) and not protecting against crimes by corporate employees. I can’t remember all this crap now – can anyone else fill in the gaps for me????
@ izardoz
…and I STILL think it’s a put-on. “Gray Powell” isn’t getting any more real. I haven’t had time to catch up on the latest news yet, but I’m assuming we have still not learned the identity of the mysterious ‘Finder’, true?
Cancer.
Healthcare.
The Economy.
Erupting Volcanos.
Earthquakes.
Perspective, people. Perspective.
Sheesh!
I
think
its
great.
Let
those
who
live
off
the
hurt
of
others
pay
their
fair
price.
The
apple
engineer
has
his
careet
ruined
just
so
Giz
can
get
some
clicks.
F***
Giz
.
All theft statutes in the USA contain many elements. One element always included is “with the intent to deprive” someone or something of property. Chen displayed his intent to deprive by paying for the phone. I hope his community service is mowing the boulevard and median outside 1 Infinite Loop with a engineless push mower. He is not a thief until convicted. Judges rule on shield laws, not the police.
@Scot Murphy
Petty theft? Are you nuts? What is the value of the R&D;that went into this particular phone; Is $5000, or ten million enough? It’s certainly not petty.
Why did not have apple just turn on the GPS and find it. They did that with my friends iPhone, and they were busted the people that had it.
@ChrissyOne
You have been saying this over and over like a broken record, we all are aware of your personal feelngs in this matter.
Closing your eyes and wishing real hard doesn’t hide the facts that the people are real.
If you had taken the time to research you would have found out that Gary had to remove his accounts for facebook and his email the following day due to all the inquiries into his personal life.
Also being in law enforcement for over 26 years, logic tells me that Apples “Garys” legal advice is to keep a low profile during the course of the investigation as this is comon practice.
Now you can believe what you will but not having one speak out is not evidence of non Existence but smart legal advice.
MY Fingers got behind my brain on typing. I would think Apple would have all the bells and whistles on this phone. Someone had to be the service provider A.T.&T;. So just a quick call when the guy figured he forgot it in the bar. I wonder what they did with his dumb a$$. That should broken his contract with Apple.
I could care less what happens to this guy, but the cops need to work within the law… If it was a night search and that was not checked on the warrant it is a opps. If they started in daylight then they are ok.. I do not know what use they had for his AMEX bill. I am sure the guy that sold it wanted cash. The company would have been the one providing the cash.
@ C1
My point exactly. Whoever “found” (and I use that term loosely), knew exactly what he/she had in his/her hands without ever turning the thing on.
Now whatever spin people want to put to that. The corporate spy angle or the intentional leak (which makes more sense, but who am I?). Only time will tell.
However, on a side note. Thanks C1 for responding to a “non inflammatory, name calling, person bashing question” I am honored.
@Richard
It has been reported that since this was a prototype that GPS was Not active on the phone, but this is not the case now at this point.
The phone did have the mobile me service and was remotely cleared the following day as reported.
All the information you have asked about has been reported over and over just do a search and it may help you to understand this caseore indepth, since this had happened, information has come out daily, and most people don’t follow a story other then the first posting.
@ @ChrissyOne
USE YOUR OWN NAME COWARD.
“If you had taken the time to research you would have found out that Gary had to remove his accounts for facebook and his email the following day due to all the inquiries into his personal life.”
You couldn’t even spell his name right, Mr. Research. And you need to go back through the comments and do some research of your own. Your comments are herby worthless.
@ izardoz
Since you’re better at research (and, you know, thinking) than my eponymous doppleganger above, I’ll talk to you instead.
I want to know who the ‘Finder’ is. We’ve been told fairy stories about Gray Powell ad nauseam, but not a peep about the person who made $5k illegally (yes, illegally) and is still at large. This person is the key to everything, and I think it’s very telling that Giz was so eager to tell us about Gray Powell but haven’t mentioned the ‘Finder’ by name.
Also, no one seems flummoxed by the fact that Gray’s now-private MySpace has a Zune image as a background. Yeah… you know if I has just lost Steve’s phone and gone into hiding to keep the heat off, the last thing I’d do on the way out is advertise a top competitor’s product. I’m sure Steve would love that if it got back to him.
The world (and MDN readers) could use a bit more healthy skepticism.
FYI – Gray’s MySpace, which no longer comes up in searches, is here:
http://www.myspace.com/graypowell
JC
Thanks for the info.
So Chrissy, with the posting of Mr. Powell’s My Space page, are you satisfied that he is a real person? And to Izardoz’s point:
“One, this was a set up by someone stalking this guy waiting for his chance to lift it.” Gawker/Gizmodo didn’t do themselves any favors by placing a bounty on an unreleased iPad. It established a history of initiating criminal behavior, a point that the “finder’s” attorney will use in defense proceedings.
@ Eric the Half Bee
Find me any evidence at all that Gray had a life before this happened. That might help. The earliest thing I can find is the comment that he left on the Flickr pic of him 6 months ago.
And he MIGHT be a real person, but that doesn’t make the story true.
Oh, and the funny thing about that Flickr comment – under his name, it says “No Real Name Given”.
@C1
Thanks for the comeback. Now i’m gonna put this whole caper together for every one else in the style of a 1940’s potboiler, (just because the saps that cruise here don’t know jake).
“Now right after our gunsal dropped the dingus. Our no name derrick does the knockover, and soaks the the dingus to the wise heads. Now our gink was handed the geetus and that was just jake with.
But even if he thinks he did the the clean sneek, well 5 to 9’s the copper’s get him before mr. big’s torpedoes size him up for a wooden kimono.”
Best regards C1
@ izardoz
lololol… Excellent banter!
@C1
Left out the word “it” to the end of 2nd paragraph. Sorry, been a long day.
Later!
@C1
Agggh, even that was wrong!!! should be “him”
I’m going to bed now.
Sweet dreams everyone.
Relax, I’m the mistress of shoddy typing.
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@mac
“finders keepers loosers weepers”
You are indeed right my friend. The Police found Mr. Chen’s stuff; they may end up keeping him; he’s lost this one; now I’m sure he is most undoubtably weeping.
@Scot Murphy
“The bloodlust around here stuns me. Yeah, Chen did something wrong, the guy who stole the phone was wrong, checkbook journalism is wrong. But really–a no-knock warrant and seizing all his computers and servers? For what is little more than petty theft? They stole a PHONE, not jewels.”
This isn’t just a phone. This is probably worth more then most jewels we see on a daily basis. A prototype for an unreleased tech device like this represents millions upon millions of dollars. Even a normal top of the line iPhone is worth over $700 unsubsidized.
If some one stole a $500 neckless and fenced it to some one else who knew it was stolen, wouldn’t you think that was more then petty theft?
Chen also ripped the thing apart (very stupid IMO). I heard him on the Adam Carolla Podcast saying how he didn’t even do it delicately as he’s not very nimble with his fingers (paraphrasing). If it’s found that he damaged such an expensive prototype, he could be looking at owing a LOT of money in damages in a civil suit as well as criminal charges for grand theft (which is a felony).
I don’t know if he broke the law, nor do I really care.I do care about the fact that Law Enforcement in this country has gotten very arrogant and heavy handed. Unlike many- I don’t worship the Doughnut Patrol.
Imagine all the points he would have scored with Steve Jobs and Apple if he had made a serious effort to return it to them. They probably would have rewarded him handsomely and asked him to keep his mouth shut and sign an agreement.
There is no moral barometer left in our society – all folks want to do is profit themselves as much as they can. They rarely think about the other folks involved.
I have to put it simply for the duncecaps – if there was NO wrongdoing – why pay $5000? The cash is to pay for illegal goods AND to get someone to actively pursue illegal goods. Unreleased prototypes are illegal goods full of intellectual property that any company SHOULD call the cops on.
Was that hard?
last comment on this
sad that such a massive police effort was undertaken (at taxpayer’s expense) to break down the door of a dipsh*t who was involved with a freaking phone, waste of police resources
there are people in need, people missing, big criminals at large, perspective please!
and the Gawker COO still sounds STUPID writing a caselaw and statue laden letter to a police detective – the whole thing is a circus and a joke
perspective needed
YOU Sir have just been ” Steve’d “.
Have a goodnight & good luck.
If apple hadn’t pressed the investigation it would have never happened. It’s Apple’s fault they didn’t respond to the guy who found the phone and contacted them with it. Apple will have a hard time fixing the PR on this, whatever the legality of it. They will lose a lot of customers. If any one had any doubts about apple being arrogant control-freaks, those doubts are now gone.
the iPhone was left out in public and the guy tried to contact apple to get it back.
It’s Apple’s fault they didn’t respond to the guy who found the phone and contacted them with it.
If you believe any variation of the above, in light of all the info we have, you are either stupid or being willfully ignorant.
If the “finder” (HA!) of the phone turned it into the bartender, like every single other intelligent person would do in this case, this would not be a story. If Gizmodo had attempted to contact the engineer THAT THEY OUTED IN A AN ARTICLE, this would not be much of a story and the phone would be in Apple’s hands.
Gizmodo bought a stolen phone. Period. The minute that the “finder” put up the property WHICH HE DID NOT OWN while KNOWING WHO THE OWNER WAS and Gizmodo bought said phone, they both had committed a crime.
This isn’t rocket surgery.
LOL… This is getting worse and worse for Gizmodo and becoming a total mess. Why did they pay for it when they knew it was stolen???
I hope he didn’t have anything else on those computers that he didn’t wanted them to see like pirated stuff and such because then he is in even more trouble lol.
Personally i hate Gaymodo. It’s a site consisting of stupid kids causing trouble like destroying amd getting thrown put of CES.