Apple wants to know who supplies prototypes of its products to resellers who then leak them on social media.
Did you know that iPhone prototypes and models reserved for internal development are available on the web? This happens often and sometimes makes it possible to discover what products in development looked like, long before they took their final form. If the “historical” aspect obviously has enough to seduce tech fans, these leaks pose more of a problem for Apple and its immoderate taste for secrecy and control of its property.
However, the Cupertino giant seems determined to tackle the problem head-on. He has just sent a “cease and desist” letter to (at least) one Chinese internet user, who sells this type of device and shows them on his Twitter account. The identity of the seller is not known, but you can see an example of illegal sales on another Twitter account below.
In the letter sent by Apple’s Chinese lawyers, the manufacturer asks the mysterious seller to stop acquiring, showing, and selling prototypes.
Your intentional violation specifically manifests itself as follows: publishing non-public information about Apple’s new products, via social media, including the design and performance of those new products.
Most importantly, the lawyers are asking to provide a list of the people who offered him these devices. The seller has 14 days to sign a document in which it promises to satisfy Apple’s requests.
It is not known with certainty whether Apple has sent other letters of this type, but it is clear that the manufacturer wants to break the “grey” market for the sale of prototypes and know the origins of their leaks, which could be at the level of the Chinese factories of its subcontractors. Apple definitely does not joke with the secret …
Source: Motherboard/Vice
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