• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, May 30, 2006

In a closely watched case, a California appellate court has sided with Web publishers against Apple Computer. In the case, O'Grady v. Apple Computer, Apple had attempted to subpoena emails and other information in an attempt to discover the identity of sources who allegedly leaked information to bloggers.

The bloggers challenged Apple's attempt to subpoena the information, claiming that California's media shield law protected the identities of confidential sources. Apple had argued that the bloggers weren't entitled to the state's shield law because they weren't engaged in "legitimate" journalism when they posted about the company.

Late last week, a three-judge appellate panel in California disagreed with Apple's position, ruling that the bloggers were entitled to California's shield law. "The shield law is intended to protect the gathering and dissemination of news, and that is what petitioners did here," wrote the court. "We can think of no workable test or principle that would distinguish 'legitimate' from 'illegitimate' news."

The case had drawn the attention of many Internet watchdogs, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which argued the case for the bloggers. Other organizations to get involved in the case included the California Newspaper Publishers Association, the ACLU, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and the Center for Internet & Society.