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Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Jan 5, 2005, 08:56 PM

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An unhappy iTunes online music store customer is suing Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , alleging the company broke antitrust laws by only allowing iTunes to work with its own music player, the iPod, freezing out competitors, court filings showed.

Apple, which opened its online music store in April 2003 after introducing the iPod in October 2001, uses technology to ensure each digital song bought from its store only plays on the iPod.

The suit was filed on Monday in the U.S. District Court in San Jose. One antitrust expert called it a long shot, but Californian Thomas Slattery is hoping for unspecified damages for being "forced" to buy an iPod, one of the most successful electronics products in years.

The key to such a lawsuit would be convincing a court that a single product brand like iTunes is a market in itself separate from the rest of the online music market, according to Ernest Gellhorn, an antitrust law professor at George Mason University.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml...toryID=7249174

ManOfSteal · Jan 5, 2005, 08:58 PM

Awesome...Apple is "officially" a monopoly now.

storer · Jan 5, 2005, 08:59 PM

I doubt that he will win. If he does, lawsuits will pop up everywhere. Thats like saying: I have a pc. I bought OS X. It didnt work, so I am suing apple for forcing me to buy a mac.

Cadaver · Jan 5, 2005, 09:11 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
One antitrust expert called it a long shot, but Californian Thomas Slattery is hoping for unspecified damages....

He's actually hoping for a lottery payout.

Dick.

Only one antitrust expert called it a long shot??

effgee · Jan 5, 2005, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
... Apple, ... , uses technology to ensure each digital song bought from its store only plays on the iPod. ...

What was that iTunes thing? What the hell is that stuff I recently burned onto a CD for car use? And why is it again that I couldn't transfer those tunes from the CD to (pretty much) any other (be it portable or not) player out there?

Moron(s).

typoon · Jan 5, 2005, 09:22 PM

Waaaaaaaaa Apple is "forcing" me to buy an iPod. It is able to use MP3's But I was still forced to buy one. Waaaaaaaaa I'm being forced to buy THE most popular electronic device in years.

This guy needs to get a life. Sounds like one of those writers who bashes Apple and iTMS. SSDD as they say. I hope gets CREAMED in court. Too bad he won't be forced to pay Apple's legal fees when he loses.

Xeo · Jan 5, 2005, 09:23 PM

The guy probably bought 3 songs. OMFG THE THR33 SONGS I BOUGHT DONT PLAY ON MY RIO AND NOW I HAVE TO BUY AN IPOD THOSE FUXXORS I AM SO GONNA SUE!

Lame. Storer hit it dead on. It's exactly like buying OS X and then suing cause you have to buy a Mac to use it. He knew the system requirements before he bought it.

SeSawaya · Jan 5, 2005, 09:24 PM

well they forced me to buy a new photoPod yesterday, darn them!

Nodnarb · Jan 5, 2005, 09:30 PM

What people will do for some money.
Reminds me of the person suing McDonald's because it made them fat.
Dumbasses.

FulcrumPilot · Jan 5, 2005, 09:36 PM

Apple sues Think secret, Thomas Slattery sues Apple. What goes around comes around!

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Jan 5, 2005, 09:44 PM

Originally posted by brandon420506:
What people will do for some money.
Reminds me of the person suing McDonald's because it made them fat.
Dumbasses.

Actually I think this lawsuit is even more stupid.

JHromadka · Jan 5, 2005, 09:45 PM

Can we sue Microsoft for making its ActiveSync only work with Pocket PCs?
Can we sue Microsoft for making Windows only work on PCs?
Can we sue Microsoft for making Halo only work with xBox?
Can we sue Nintendo for making Metroid only work with GameCube?

Stupidest lawsuit of the year!

mdc · Jan 5, 2005, 10:21 PM

Originally posted by JHromadka:
Can we sue Microsoft for making its ActiveSync only work with Pocket PCs?
Can we sue Microsoft for making Windows only work on PCs?
Can we sue Microsoft for making Halo only work with xBox?
Can we sue Nintendo for making Metroid only work with GameCube?

Stupidest lawsuit of the year!

exactly.

while we are at it, why not all the software developers that don't make mac or windows versions of their software.

mikithecrackhead · Jan 5, 2005, 10:21 PM

correct me if I am wrong but doesn't itunes work with the Rio Cali, and/or other Rio Flash driven MP3 players? According to reviews they are supposed to work with Mac OS X.

mdc · Jan 5, 2005, 10:24 PM

i have never tried a player other than an ipod with itunes. but i read somewhere that you can drag your music from your itunes folder onto your [insert player here] mp3 player. just because you can't use itunes to sync it does not mean it does not work in mac os X.

i think this case is about how the music he bought from the itunes music store being a protected .aac file won't play on any player other than a ipod.

Superchicken · Jan 5, 2005, 10:34 PM

Dang, Apple forced me to buy an iPod mini by making it sleek, sexy, and down right awesome... bastards!

Disgruntled Head of C-3PO · Jan 5, 2005, 10:39 PM

Originally posted by mikithecrackhead:
correct me if I am wrong but doesn't itunes work with the Rio Cali, and/or other Rio Flash driven MP3 players? According to reviews they are supposed to work with Mac OS X.

it did in version 1 and 2 but when the iPod came out they didn't push that fact anymore. don't know if it still does.

At any rate, I think he is bitching about songs he bought through iTms.

osxpinot · Jan 5, 2005, 11:09 PM

As somebody pointed out, don't forget that you can burn these songs to CDs. While Apple is not going to come out and say rip that burnt CD, a portable CD player definately counts as a portable device. And if you wan't more portability, burn your songs to one of those mini-CDs for use in a mini-CD player (if such a beast exists).

Nodnarb · Jan 5, 2005, 11:22 PM

Originally posted by mdc:

i think this case is about how the music he bought from the itunes music store being a protected .aac file won't play on any player other than a ipod.

That's exactly what this case is about. He's complaining that he couldn't take any songs he bought from iTMS with him without being "forced" to buy an iPod to do so. He's not complaining about the software iTunes not syncing with other players, but about the fairplay DRM from purchased music.

cjrivera · Jan 5, 2005, 11:22 PM

If thhe legal system in the US were a "loser pays" system (where the loser of the suit has to pay for winners court costs), do you think this idiot would be trying this stunt?

cheerios · Jan 5, 2005, 11:27 PM

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
it did in version 1 and 2 but when the iPod came out they didn't push that fact anymore. don't know if it still does.

At any rate, I think he is bitching about songs he bought through iTms.

Still works fine w/ teh Rio 500 i use