Apple Lawsuit Target ThinkSecret.com Owner/Publisher Revealed

in this Harvard Crimson article. Using the pen name Nick dePlume, Nick Ciarelli has published Think Secret for 6 years, since the age of 13. He is now a 19 year old Harvard undergraduate student and an editor on the staff of the Crimson. Think Secret has posted "rumors" of pending Apple products before they are released, including fairly specific details on the $499 Mac mini that Apple announced this week at Macworld 2005. Apple has sued him for revealing Apple's trade secrets as a violation of California's Uniform Trade Secrets Act and for illegally enticing Apple employees to break their non-disclosure agreements. Apple also asked for an injunction to prevent future releases. We are sure that Apple would like to find who the leaker(s) is (are) if, in fact, they exist.

The Crimson article stated that Mr. Ciarelli claims to have used nothing more than normal information gathering practices for the journalism profession and professed to not have, and can not afford, an attorney to defend him in California where the suit was filed. The Crimson also wrote that a case management conference is slated for May 3rd. [Bill Fox]