Category: Technology Author : Duncan Riley Posted: July 16, 2009
Tags : techcrunch, Twitter, twittergate
Twitter may be planning to sue TechCrunch over the publication of stolen internal documents (Twittergate), according to multiple sites.
The conjecture is simply that at this stage, with Twitter not exactly saying that they’d like Michael Arrington’s rear end on toast, however the company has made hints in that direction.
“We are in touch with our legal counsel about what this theft means for Twitter…and anyone who accepts and subsequently shares or publishes these stolen documents” co-founder Biz Stone wrote on the Twitter blog. “We’re not sure yet exactly what the implications are for folks who choose to get involved at this point but when we learn more and are able to share more, we will.”
TechCrunch is now claiming that they published the documents with the permission of Twitter…which is more than a little bit bizarre given what Biz wrote and unlikely: no company in their right mind would approve of another site publishing stolen documents that detail highly confidential internet business plans and corporate information.
Jul 16, 2009
I realize that there are potential entanglements here, but I'd really love to hear how you, as a news publisher, feel about Michael's argument about why he should publish these documents. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying, but I believe his argument can be summed up in the phrase “if it lands in my inbox, it's fair game.” I've wondered whether “receiving stolen property” laws would apply to virtual property, but I'm not a lawyer.
Let me ask the specific question – if the Twitter documents landed in Steven Hodson's inbox, and Hodson wanted to publish them, how would you respond?
Jul 17, 2009
TechCrunch published the documents with Twitters permission, Am I reading it right?