Apple has filed a lawsuit within the Northern District of California, accusing Jon Prosser of misappropriating commerce secrets and techniques and violating the Laptop Fraud and Abuse Act. Listed here are the complete particulars.
In case you comply with the rumor mill, you most likely bear in mind how Joe Prosser had been leaking iOS 26 (or moderately, iOS 19, on the time) since January. First, he leaked a reconstruction of the Digicam app, then he revealed a couple of movies that confirmed reconstructed glimpses of what really turned the Liquid Glass overhaul.
And whereas some particulars differed from what Apple finally introduced, doubtless as a result of the fabric he had entry to was nonetheless a piece in progress, the leaks have been directionally correct. Now, Apple has revealed how he bought this info, and what it needs the courts to do about it.
Apple bought tipped in regards to the leak in April
Within the lawsuit (by way of MacRumors), the corporate retells the way it bought tipped that Michael Ramacciotti (one other defendant within the lawsuit) had damaged into the Growth iPhone of an Apple worker referred to as Ethan Lipnik, whereas staying at his home:
“In response to Mr. Ramacciotti’s message, whereas staying at Mr. Lipnik’s house, Mr. Ramacciotti used location monitoring to find out when Mr. Lipnik can be gone for an prolonged interval, acquired his passcode, and broke into his Growth iPhone, which Mr. Lipnik had did not correctly safe in response to Apple’s insurance policies. As he detailed within the audio message, Mr. Ramacciotti made a video name to Mr. Prosser and “confirmed iOS” on the Growth iPhone. He demonstrated a number of options and purposes, disclosing particulars of the unreleased iOS 19 working system.
(…)
In response to Mr. Ramacciotti, Mr. Prosser proposed the scheme and promised to”discover out a approach for [Mr. Ramacciotti] to get fee” if Mr. Ramacciotti would offer entry to Mr. Lipnik’s Growth iPhone so Mr. Prosser may steal and revenue from Apple’s confidential info. Mr. Ramacciotti acknowledged that Mr. Prosser recorded the video name with display seize instruments. Mr. Prosser took movies of the commerce secrets and techniques on the Growth iPhone, saved them on his personal system, and disseminated these recordings to others. He shared the recordings with at the very least one one that reported again to Mr. Lipnik that he acknowledged Mr. Lipnik’s residence within the recording. In the end, Mr. Prosser profited off Apple’s commerce secrets and techniques by, at the very least, sharing them in a number of movies on his enterprise’s YouTube channel, from which he generates advert income.
Apple goes on to element the lengths it goes to in an effort to defend its commerce secrets and techniques, and the way confidentiality performs an enormous half in its growth course of. The corporate additionally says that though it fired Lipnik, he was additionally saved at midnight about what had occurred till he discovered about it “by way of others, who claimed to have seen Mr. Lipnik’s residence in a video recording from Mr. Prosser.”
Apple additionally claims that it doesn’t know whether or not Prosser has extra confidential materials that he has but to share, as “the Growth iPhone moreover contained different unanounced design parts that stay confidential”.
What Apple is asking the courtroom
In a nutshell, Apple is asking for a jury trial, which might enable a jury to determine on injunctive and punitive damages if the corporate wins the case.
Within the doc, Apple lists the next requests:
- Judgment in Apple’s favor and in opposition to Defendants on all causes of motion alleged herein;
- Injunctive reduction because the Court docket finds essential and acceptable;
- Damages in an quantity to be confirmed at trial;
- Punitive damages primarily based on Defendants’ willful and malicious misappropriation of
- commerce secrets and techniques;
- An order directing Defendants to not make use of or disclose Apple’s confidential, proprietary, and commerce secret info to 3rd events with out its written consent; and to return or help Apple in finding and destroying any such info of their possession, custody, or management;
- Pre-judgment and post-judgment curiosity on the most authorized charge as relevant, as a component of damages that Apple has suffered on account of Defendants’ wrongful and illegal acts;
- Cheap attorneys’ charges and prices incurred; and
- Such different reduction because the Court docket deems simply and correct.
Prosser responds
On X, Prosser disputed Apple’s model of occasions, and briefly shared his personal account of how he obtained the iOS 26 interface:
It is rather doubtless that extra info will come to gentle within the subsequent few days, and we’ll comply with the story and report again because it unfolds.
What’s your tackle all this? Share your ideas within the feedback.
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