Apple sued for ‘bricking’ the iPhone
Posted by Dennis Sellers 
Oct 8, 2007 at 5:25pm
Another day, another lawsuit. California resident Timothy Smith filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple on Oct. 4, alleging that the iPhone maker violated the state’s antitrust law, reports InformationWeek.
The suit was filed on behalf of Smith by Damian Fernandez, the attorney who’s been seeking plaintiffs for a class-action case against Apple over iPhone “bricking” (disabling of an iPhone with a recent software update that “killed” any of the devices with third party software that “unlocked” an iPhone).
Specifically, Timothy P. Smith v. Apple Inc. charges the iPhone maker with violating the Cartwright Act, because, according to the court papers, “Apple prohibits iPhone consumers from using and purchasing a cell phone service other than through AT&T.” The suit also says that cell phone unlocking is completely legal, citing traditional copyright law as well as the more recent Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
In addition, Smith’s suit claims that “as a result of Apple’s unlawful and anti-competitive conduct, consumers continue to pay artificially inflated prices for the iPhone and AT&T’s cell phone service.”
Submissions are being taken for the “Macsimum Macworld San Francisco 2008 Coupon Book. For details email Dennis at daseller@earthlink.net
PJ Says:
Is there a way I can sue people for being ignorant and stupid?
Mr. Smith, you want a free phone, where you can install everything you want and use it with the carrier of your choice?
Then don’t buy an Iphone!!! It’s as easy as that.
With this lawsuit you show once more the decadence in our society these days!
Posted on October 08, 2007
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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.
JT Says:
How is bricking an iPhone an antitrust violation? Apple iPhone is not the only phone on the market. If you want a phone buy a phone, it doesn’t need to be an iPhone. It is like saying I want a Corvette but I don’t want a Chevrolet engine. Is it an antitrust violation because all Corvettes have the Chevy engine and I will void my warranty if I drop a Ford engine in it?
Posted on October 08, 2007