According to Vice, a cease and desist letter sent by Apple is demanding that someone living in China stop advertising leaked and stolen iPhone prototypes. The company gave two main reasons why it is calling for an end to the practice, noting that the leaks take the excitement away from a new version of the iPhone by offering surprises that Apple wanted to reveal itself. As a result, when Apple introduces its next-generation iPhone, the public will not be surprised and such surprises, Apple writes in the letter, are part of its “DNA”.
Another reason given by Apple for demanding an end to leaks of prototype iPhone models is that “third-party accessory makers may develop and sell cell phone cases and other accessories that are not actually compatible with them. unpublished products “. Now, we have to ask ourselves if Apple is really concerned about the welfare of these third-party case makers, as ill-fitting cases from third-party companies would tend to improve sales of Apple’s own cases.
Apple suggests liability for ill-fitting third-party iPhone cases should be blamed on information leaks on unreleased models
The letter written by a Chinese law firm on behalf of Apple states: “Such situations harm the interests of consumers and Apple. Therefore, it is evident that when unpublished information about the design and performance of Apple products is kept confidential, it has potential commercial value. In the letter, Apple says the leakers are disclosing “a large amount of information relating to Apple’s unreleased and rumored products”, resulting in “wide recognition and a large number of followers.”
In about six weeks, Apple could unveil its next line of iPhone models.
The tech giant calls the seller’s posts “unlawful disclosure of Apple’s trade secrets.” And the company has already taken legal action against accessory suppliers. In 2016, it sued Mobile Star LLC for manufacturing counterfeit adapters, cables, and other products. The lawsuit “found that Mobile Star’s supply chain includes entities that are known counterfeiters and counterfeiters of Apple’s intellectual property, and source large quantities of Apple-branded products directly from based entities. in China”.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is known to despise the leaks; Samsung is also looking to strike back
Last month, Apple has threatened to take legal action against the leakers who disseminate articles on unpublished iPhone units. And in March, Apple demanded that its major assemblers, including Foxconn and Wistron, perform background checks on all of their assembly line workers. Overworked and underpaid doing boring repetitive work, these employees might be more willing to receive easy money in exchange for real information, images, or material from unreleased iPhone models.
While Apple CEO Tim Cook is known to despise leaks, it seems getting rid of them is easier said than done. In 2017, Apple hosted an internal seminar on the leaks. Intended to be a non-public “secret” gathering, word about the seminar has leaked.
Many of these leakers are what we call “Twitter tipsters” who use the social media app to spread the word about the information they have gained in one way or another. Many of these people seek careers from these tweets, and indeed, some have continued to build huge following by posting specific information before a company like Apple officially revealed it.
Apple isn’t the only company looking to tackle the leaks. Earlier this month, we told you that Samsung has started protecting the copyrights of leaked images and videos of unreleased products with the aim of removing them from the Internet. This plan didn’t seem to work as just about every major device that Samsung is slated to showcase at its next Unpacked event on August 11 has been fully disclosed, including devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip. 3, Galaxy Buds 2, Galaxy Watch 4, and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.
