Apple getting sued over halting BluWiki open source iTunes Discussion

Users of BluWiki have been discussing an open-source alternative for iTunes for a while now, and have received take down notices by Apple demanding they stop the discussion. It seems that Apple is none to pleased about users possibly using something other than iTunes with their iPhones and iPods.

The EFF and Odioworks have filed a lawsuit against them, citing that it’s not illegal to reverse engineer a product and generate a competing software, in addition to the fact that their users freedom of speech may be at jeopardy here.

“I take the free speech rights of BluWiki users seriously,” Sam Odio, owner of OdioWorks, said in a statement. “Companies like Apple should not be able to censor online discussions by making baseless legal threats against services like BluWiki that host the discussions.”

Apple has always been very protective of it’s company’s secrets, especially in regards to the iPhone and iPod Touch devices, but one must question if they’ve stepped over the line. Publishing, or creating programs that function with their devices seems like it shouldn’t be illegal, but copyright infringement is at stake here. Stifling conversations, about such applications though, seems a bit shaky on Apple’s part.

This reminds me of the tricky legal area that Jailbreaking poses. Just because Apple doesn’t like it, doesn’t mean it should be illegal! Your opinions?

If you liked this article and want to read more,

You might want to check out my Geek Blog at ChantelleJoy.com!

Or follow me on Twitter (@ChantelleJoytwt)