Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" Leak Case Settled by Apple

Mr. Doug Steigerwald, a member of the Apple Developer Connection (ADC), was accused by Apple of leaking an early version of Tiger over the internet using a file sharing service, BitTorrent. Members of the ADC receive copies of Apple's software under development to test with the member's software and to report any bugs to Apple. Signing a strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Apple is required for membership in the ADC. The case has been settled for unspecified monetary damages and a public admission of guilt. Mr. Steigerwald's statement is,

As a member of Apple's Developer Connection program I received a pre-release version of Apple's Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger" software, which I promised to keep confidential. Instead, I disseminated it over the Internet, and thousands of unauthorized copies of Apple's software were illegally distributed to the public.

Mr. Steigerwald is 22 and a recent college graduate looking for a job. He is also the subject of a criminal investigation on the same issue which he hopes will be ended.

This seems like a satisfactory end to one of the recent cases that Apple has brought against those who Apple alleges have violated their NDAs or have been the publisher of information resulting from an NDA violation. [Bill Fox]