Listics

Apple, the upscale Cupertino, California toy maker, widget factory and tireless enemy of open standards and free speech lost in court this month and has agreed to obey the court and just pay the legal fees of the bloggers they tried to intimidate. The alternative to paying up now was paying up later after losing an appeal, or — just as bad — winning an appeal but losing even more respect for playing the mean bully against their own fan boys. The fee judgment caps EFF’s May, 2024 victory in the matter by adding some minor consequences to the Cupertino toy maker’s bullying behavior.

During the time Steve Jobs has run the company, Apple has been hostile to truly independent journalism about its products and policies. This current attack on journalism — and that is precisely what is going on here — reflects the side of Jobs that will someday lead the company back down from its current heights. He is a genius, no question, but he is a control freak who doesn’t seem to care whatsoever that he’s infuriating some natural allies.
Dan Gillmor

File under: stuff I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t read Doc Searls this morning