14 DAY TRIAL // Apple’s legal has contacted Gawker Media, one of the most successful blog-oriented media companies, requesting it to remove the “Scavenger Hunt” contest posted on its Valleywag website.
The contest, asking for Apple-tablet information in exchange for prize money, “induces” breach-of-contract and disclosure of Apple trade secrets, according to a cease-and-desist letter sent by Apple’s attorneys to Gabriel Snyder, editor-in-chief, Valleywag.com / Gawker Media.
Earlier this week, the tech blogosphere was flooded with reports saying that Gawker Media’s Valleywag had launched a contest where participants could nab as much as $100,000 in prize money, in exchange for evidence of the much-hyped Apple tablet.
According to the contest rules, bona fide pictures of the product would earn their author $10,000, while a video of one in action would pay $20,000. An attractive prize of $50,000 in cash was decided on for pictures or a video of Apple’s CEO (Steve Jobs) holding one. Finally, a whopping $100,000 would be awarded to the person able to produce (as in provide) the actual device for Gawker, and let it “play with [it] for an hour.”
The contest appears to be on still, although Apple’s legal clearly told Snyder, “We believe you and your company have crossed the line by offering a bounty for the theft of Apple's trade secrets.” Valleywag posted scans of the letter in question. The site suggests they stand as evidence of the product’s existence in a follow-up post entitled “Apple Wins the First Prize in Our Tablet Scavenger Hunt.”
Written by the same Gabriel Snyder, the piece says, “Congratulations, Michael Spillner of the prestigious Menlo Park law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe! Your ‘Letter from Apple’ demanding that we stop the Scavenger Hunt — specifically the line ‘Apple has maintained the types of information and things you are soliciting ... in strict confidence’ — is the most concrete evidence (from Apple itself, no less!) yet that there may indeed be a tablet in the works.”
Valleywag claims it wants to make good on its promise of awarding those who confirm the existence of Apple’s tablet. Therefore, the site has reportedly decided to send the lawyer a gift basket that includes a DVD of Legally Blonde 2, a $25 Zune Marketplace giftcard, and a set of steak knives.
Softpedia note
It may appear that Apple has just shot itself in the foot this time around, but we’re taking into account that even this could be a premeditated move. Then again, if we’re to look at this from a less paranoid perspective, Apple did not have much of a choice but to explain why exactly the contest was illegal, therefore had to mention that trade secrets were involved. This doesn’t necessarily mean the tablet is ready and that it’s launching this month, the next, or the one after. Apple, as you may have gathered, is protecting any kind of secrets related to its work.
This isn’t confirmation of the existence of Apple’s tablet, although it killed us not to write “Apple Asks Site to Pull Tablet Contest, Indirectly Confirms Device.”