backtop

Print 44 comment(s) - last by blwest.. on Aug 24 at 2:08 PM
Pirate our software, lose your job

Think Secret reports Apple retail store employees have been axed for illegally acquiring developer builds of Apple’s unreleased Mac OS X Leopard operating system. Mac OS X Leopard was given out to developers at Apple’s WWDC event earlier this month and leaked out to the public.

DailyTech previously reported on leaked screen shots of Mac OS X Leopard earlier today too. The Apple retail store employers obtained a leaked copy and were overhead discussing the matter with other employees. The discussion was overheard and Apple corporate investigated the matter after word had reached Apple’s office in Cupertino, CA.

The employees were immediately fired after admitting to obtaining the illegal software. Obtaining illegal copies of Apple software is a clear violation of Apple’s terms of service, or TOS, for retail store employees. Furthermore, the Apple employees had also signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) about upcoming software, which resulted in a second infraction.

The dismissed employees, when questioned, responded with "All of us know that we violated our NDA and ethics policy. Therefore, because we had the character to tell the truth and to face the consequences of our actions, we were terminated," said one of the fired employees, who spoke with Think Secret on condition of anonymity. "My only question is, if we all lied and denied it would we still be working at Apple today? Even more so, is that the kind of person that Apple wants working for them?"

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Perfectly Fair IMO
By deeznuts on 8/23/2006 2:07:42 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
So basically, an Employee steals from his company (You can get caught up in semantics of out-dated dictionaries, Lets call it "Taking something that doesn't belong to you"). Clearly illegal and against his contract, and thus gets fired. Everyone on Dailytech gets upset at the unfairness of it all.


No need to get caught up in semantics, anybody who tries to say downloading stuff without permission (either by paying if a retail product, or permission because you are developer) is just someone who read someone else's justification for stealing electronic copies of something. Now they spew the same nonsense themselves.

You can ignore these idiots who say "it isn't stealing unless it is a physical product, it's only 1s and 0s, you have to steal the disc." Lol, what are they 12 years old? If that was the case then how the hell is there a crime against "Theft of Services?" Nothing tangible there stolen but still a theft nonetheless. In fact, in New York, if you sneak into a theater or concert hall you are guilty of theft. Nothing tangible stolen, they were going to show the film or go on with the concert anyway. Yet it is theft.

You guys quoting a dictionary on the definition of theft are just reading the common law definition of it before the concept of Intellectual Property was created. Go pick up a law dictionary instead of quoting a 2nd grade abridged version of Websters.


"You can bet that Sony built a long-term business plan about being successful in Japan and that business plan is crumbling." -- Peter Moore, 24 hours before his Microsoft resignation

Related Articles
Leaked OS X Leopard Screenshots
August 22, 2006, 11:30 AM
Apple Previews OS X 10.5 Leopard
August 7, 2006, 1:38 PM
botimage
Copyright 2013 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki