Remember the ThinkSecret case ... Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg issued a preliminary ruling ...

... Thursday that states three Mac enthusiast sites can be forced to expose their sources to Apple Computer. Kleinberg said journalistic protections do not cover Web sites, and will hear further arguments Friday from Apple and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

The hearings stem from a lawsuit filed by Apple against Web sites that reported about an upcoming FireWire-based interface for GarageBand, code-named Asteroid. Apple claimed its "trade secrets" were illegally disclosed and issued subpoenas demanding information the individuals who leaked the news.

Allthough a few in the blogosphere are reporting it, it looks like this has lost the support of the mob - though it's an important ruling by the look of it and carries some pretty hefty implications for bloggers...

Links:
Judge: Web Sites Must Reveal Sources
ThinkSecret
ThinkSecret case

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Nick Wilson is the publisher and founder of Threadwatch.org.

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