Apple is coming down on leakers pretty hard for sometime now. We have previously covered how Apple is working on pulling a plug on leaks for its unannounced products. Now, the company has sent a letter to a Chinese citizen who advertised selling prototypes of the stolen iPhone on social media.
Apple Is At a War WIth Leakers, Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Chinese Citizen Who Advertised Stolen iPhone Prototype
As mentioned earlier, Apple has contacted a Chinese citizen in order to inquire about the stolen iPhone prototypes that he advertised on social media. It is common for reseller to get their hands on the iPhone prototypes in China through Foxconn, Apple employees working in the manufacturing plants tend to sell the prototypes to collectors at a premium price. Since Apple is a very private company, it wants to keep everything hidden until it announces the product itself.
According to Vice, Apple's law form in China sent a cease and desist letter in June in order for people to stop selling stolen iPhone prototypes as well as advertising them. The letter also requested to provide details of people who provided the leaked devices to the reseller. Apple basically wants to reach the source of the issue and eradicate it from the root. The company also gave a 14 days notice to comply with the request by signing a document. Leakers and concept creators had previously receiving harsh letters from the company and as it turns out sources have been silent on the subject for some time.
“You have disclosed without authorization a large amount of information related to Apple’s unreleased and rumored products, which has constituted a deliberate infringement of Apple’s trade secrets,” the letter read.
“Through investigation, Apple has obtained relevant evidence about your unauthorized disclosure of Apple’s unreleased and rumored products,” the letter continued. “Your intentional infringement is specifically manifested as: publishing unpublished information about Apple’s new products through social media platforms, including but not limited to the design and performance of these new products.”
At this point in time, we are not sure what actions the company has mind for individuals who are indeed selling the stolen prototypes. Moreover, it also does not mention anything pertaining to not signing the the requesting document. Nonetheless, we will keep you guys posted on the latest, so be sure to stick around,
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About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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