Apple, AT&T hit with another iPhone lawsuit
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Oct 10, 2007 at 5:26pm
Another day, another lawsuit. A new class-action lawsuit charges Apple and AT&T with intentionally breaking the iPhones of customers who unlocked or installed third-party applications on the handsets, and further alleges that the two firms conspired from the inception of their partnership to illegally monopolize portions of the mobile cell phone, reports AppleInsider.
The 24-page formal complaint was filed Oct. 5 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. In the suit, Washington resident Paul Holman and California resident Lucy Rivello allege that Apple and AT&T unlawfully agreed prior to the iPhone’s release that the handset would not be unlocked under any circumstances as a means of preventing consumers from using programs or services other than those which directly generate revenues for the two companies.
Based on “information and belief” they claim that Apple and AT&T, once faced with a flurry of third-party iPhone applications and unlocking solutions, agreed to go beyond their already unlawful tactics of locking users down to their services and software by taking affirmative steps to break the iPhones of consumers who lawfully unlocked the AT&T SIM card or who installed third-party apps.
On some of the counts, the suit seeks damages in the amount of “no less than $200 million,” while in others it requests “no less than $600 million.” Read the AppleInsider report for details.
Submissions are being taken for the “Macsimum Macworld San Francisco 2008 Coupon Book.” For details email Dennis at daseller@earthlink.net
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Dennis Sellers
Dennis has been a newspaper editor/reporter (seven years) and teacher (seven years). He has over 4,000 magazine, newspaper and online articles to his credit. He has also covered the Mac and tech industries for over a decade for such online publications as MacCentral, MacMinute and now MacsimumNews.
Mister Ejag Says:
This is Silly! People really need to LEARN before they go out and try to make a fast buck. First off, ONLY THE GOV’T can create a Monopoly (I hate Microsoft, but they are no monopoly, I just choose NOT TO USE THEM or there products)
As for Apple and AT&T;, no Monopoly there either, if you want an iPhone, you buy it from these guys, or don’t buy one.
You can’t buy a Mercedes through a GM dealership, you can’t but an HP computer from Apple, simple.
A Monopoly is the US POstal Service and the 1st class mailings, or when the Gov’t said there is only ONE Tel. Co (Ma Bell)
Let Capitalism RULE !
Posted on October 10, 2007