A California appeals court ruled against Apple, saying online and offline journalists have the same right to protect confidential sources.
In December 2004, Apple sued several unnamed individuals who allegedly revealed information about an unreleased music hardware product. Apple charged that the defendants leaked information to several Web sites including AppleInsider.com and PowerPage. Apple subsequently subpoenaed Nfox, the ISP for PowerPage.com publisher Jason O'Grady, to examine O'Grady's communications and related records in order to identify the unknown targets of its lawsuit.
In March of this year, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg affirmed Apple's right to force online publishers to disclose their sources of confidential information. "There is no license conferred on anyone to violate valid criminal laws," Judge Kleinberg wrote in his ruling.
Recommended: Click here to Update all your outdated drivers
