Psystar v. Apple, An Update

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.cultofmac.com/report-apple-psystar-reach-partial-settlement/22322?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+cultofmac/bFow+(Cult+of+Mac)' target='_blank'>http://www.cultofmac.com/report-app...w+(Cult+of+Mac)</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Florida-based Psystar and Apple will submit Tuesday a partial court settlement to the long-running Mac copyright-infringement legal battle, according to a report. Psystar, which had sold Mac clones based on Intel hardware with Apple's Mac OS X operating system pre-installed, will pay unspecified damages."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1259708842.usr105634.jpg" /></p><p>The latest in the legal battle that was set for a January 2010 showdown in court has Apple dropping most of it's legal challenge to Psystar. According to the paperwork,&nbsp;<em>"This partial settlement eliminates the need for a trial and reduces the issues before this Court to the scope of any permanent injunction on Apple's copyright claims." </em>So Psystar agrees to pay as yet to be named damages, but they haven't given up on the fight. In their paperwork they want to exclude their Rebel EFI application that allows Intel-based PCs to use Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, asking that it be excluded from any injunction that Apple is awarded. I like that they are willing to fight, what are your thoughts on their chances? Keep in mind this has been going on since July of 2008 and Psystar is still kicking, longer than I thought they would be around.&nbsp;</p>

Update: Psystar has stopped selling everything except for the Rebel EFI application on their website, having marked the Mac clone models as "out of stock" per this article (http://www.macworld.com/article/144683/2009/12/psystar_apple_settle.html?lsrc=rss_news) from Macworld. This after agreeing to pay Apple $2.7 million USD in a partial settlement.

[doogald]

It's my belief that Apple cares less about people running "Hackintoshes" without support, but they care a lot about somebody trying to profit from it (besides themselves.) So I'm going to doubt that the EFI Rebel thing will survive a lawsuit.

[The Yaz]

I think in the end Psystar will lose and part of the settlement will be cash and a percentage of the company. Then further down the road there may be a "dumbed down" version of Snow Leopard that will be licensed for 3rd party use.

It's always about the money. Apple will still have the premium hardware and OSX and still make money on their share of the clones hardware and software sales.

As usual as win-win for Jobs...