Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Is Gawker's "Apple Tablet Scavenger Hunt" Illegal?

Posted by timothy on from the best-publicity-can't-be-bought dept.

theodp writes "Not too surprisingly, Apple was not amused by Valleywag's announcement of an Apple Tablet Scavenger Hunt, which offered cash prizes ranging from 10K-100K for info about the much-anticipated new Apple device. The promo prompted a threatening cease-and-desist letter from Apple's lawyers, which Valleywag deemed the most concrete evidence yet that there may indeed be a tablet in the works. But is the Scavenger Hunt really illegal, as the attorney claimed? The jury's still out, but Slate concludes Apple's got a pretty good case, although it notes that Valleywag's unconventional Scavenger Hunt 'stunt' may not really be all that different from 'reporting' practiced by mainstream publications like the WSJ."

4 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. You're an idiot. by schon · · Score: 0, Troll

    The whole idea behind this question is to show that offering to pay someone to do something illegal is, in itself, illegal.

    So in your world, telling someone about a company's products is the same as murder?

    Now are they asking someone to do something illegal?

    Such as?

    Last time I checked, telling people about a company's product isn't illegal.

    Now, they may *possibly* be asking people to break and NDA, but that would be a civil matter, not a criminal one, and therefore it wouldn't be illegal.

    1. Re:You're an idiot. by Low+Ranked+Craig · · Score: 0, Troll

      and the Catholic church is a business as well. what's your point?

      --
      I still cannot find the droids I am looking for...
  2. Re:Is putting a bounty on someone's life illegal? by Threni · · Score: 0, Troll

    > Breaking a civil law is still illegal.

    Depends where you are, and the law. You should phrase it differently if you don't want a pointless argument. Contract law is civil law in the UK. If you work for me and your contract says you have to give 3 months notice and you win the lottery and don't turn up for work any more then I could take action against you for breach of contract, but you're not a criminal - you've broken no laws, and even I sued you and won you won't have a criminal record. So your statement in that case would be incorrect. Even if you found one or more examples of breach of civil law being against the law, it wouldn't make your statement any clearer.

  3. Re:It's in the wording, I think.... by jrumney · · Score: 0, Troll

    I defy you to show me any law that would bar me from showing a photo of any unreleased product?