Legal Help for Think Secret

Thanks to Hurmoth on BPN for the heads-up

A leading internet lawyer will defend Mac news site Think Secret after it was sued by Apple for publishing details of the company's new products before an official announcement. Terry Gross. of San-Francisco-based Gross & Belsky LLP, has previously worked as counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and has previously defended the right of publishers to disseminate information they obtain legally.

Apple field the lawsuit after Think Secret published details of its plans for a Mac Mini, Flash-based iPod, and a new iWork suite of applications on January 4 - a week ahead of the official announcement at the MacWorld Expo on January 11.

Nick dePlume, the site's publisher and editor-in-chief, said: "Apple's attempt to silence a small publication's news reporting presents a troubling affront to the protections of the First Amendment. I'm grateful that Mr. Gross has stepped forward to help defend these crucial freedoms."

Gross added: "The Supreme Court has said that a journalist cannot be held liable for publishing information that the journalist obtained lawfully. Think Secret has not used any improper newsgathering techniques. We will be filing a motion asking the Court to dismiss this case immediately on First Amendment grounds under a California statute which weeds out meritless claims that threaten First Amendment rights."

View: Think Secret | Latest statement