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Stool Pigeon City (11/3/99)
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Just when you thought things couldn't get any sadder, Imatec continues to surprise and disgust. Dr. Hanoch Shalit, the man seeking $1.1 billion in damages from Apple Computer due to alleged patent infringement in ColorSync, may have reached a new low when it was confirmed that he had sent out letters threatening legal action to high-profile users of Apple's color-matching technology. But just in case that doesn't push all your outrage buttons, fear not-- he's got all the bases covered when it comes to losing public support. Faithful viewer James Sorenson notes that MacInTouch's special report on the continuing Imatec suit now includes details of a classified ad placed by Shalit, who is seeking ex-Apple employees willing to rat out their former boss for cash.
Of course, the ad doesn't put it quite so bluntly, but it bears the now-classic Shalit Sledgehammer Subtlety. Rather than offering outright bribes to potential stool pigeons, the ad, which appeared in the business section of last Monday's San Jose Mercury News, instead promises "industry standard consulting fees and expenses" to any disgruntled ex-Applefolk who care to provide "first hand knowledge or documentary evidence" of "Apple's infringement of intellectual property." Eeewww, it just makes us want to take a shower. It's a safe bet that anyone who still held the slightest remaining shred of sympathy for Dr. Shalit's plight will likely lose it after seeing this ad. We can only assume that Dr. Shalit is campaigning hard for the prestigious "Slime of the Year" award.
And that's an important point-- whether or not Dr. Shalit's case has merit (a distinct possibility, as faithful viewer David Portela reminds us), the way he's handled this whole thing from the beginning paints him as a money-grubbing sleaze just looking to make a quick buck through his non-revenue-producing company. He himself has confirmed that Imatec now uses "most resources" on the Apple suit, rather than working to make money by creating and selling an actual product. Now, granted, given that ColorSync is free, it's tough to sell a competing product, but ColorSync is Mac-only. And surely a man with as little subtlety, style, and grace as Hanoch Shalit would be happier playing in the Windows camp anyway, right?
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SceneLink (1886)
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And Now For A Word From Our Sponsors |
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 | | The above scene was taken from the 11/3/99 episode: November 3, 1999: Imatec continues to campaign aggressively to lose as much public support as possible; this time they're offering bribes to ex-Apple employees willing to testify against their ex-bosses. Meanwhile, ExpoScam rages unabated-- what's really behind Apple's decision to avoid Apple Expo 2000 as if it were a communicable disease? And Apple's stock hits another all-time high, as if that's really news or something...
Other scenes from that episode: 1887: Better Than Nothing? (11/3/99) ExpoScam continues to rage, as Apple keeps decidedly mum on the subject-- beyond apparently confirming that the company will not have even a "token presence" at Apple Expo 2000. Macworld UK has now started referring to the show as "beleaguered," a term once applied only to seriously distressed multi-billion-dollar computer companies like Compaq... 1888: All-Time Yawner (11/3/99) You know, we never thought we'd say this, but the phrase "all-time high" when applied to Apple's stock price has actually gotten kinda... well... boring. Okay, Apple's doing better than ever. Yes, the stock price reached $83 or thereabouts-- the highest it's ever been in the entire history of the company...
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