Apple backs down over iPhone forum censorship

Apple has backed down in its legal spat with the BluWiki discussion site

Apple has dropped its legal action against the operators of the BluWiki discussion and information site, in response to a legal action by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

Apple took the action to ban forum discussions about how iPhone and iPod Touch users could hack the devices so that they did not have to use iTunes music software. The company had claimed that the information was illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's prohibition on circumventing copy protection measures.

However, Apple has now withdrawn its legal case following the EFF suit. " Apple no longer has, nor will it have in the future, any objection to the publication of the iTunesDB Pages," the firm said in a statement.

The case is particularly relevant for Palm Pre owners, who had been able to synchronise their devices with iTunes but are now blocked from doing so after an Apple software update.

"While we are glad that Apple retracted its baseless legal threats, we are disappointed that it only came after seven months of censorship and a lawsuit," said EFF senior staff attorney Fred von Lohmann.

"Because Apple continues to use technical measures to lock iPod Touch and iPhone owners into, and Palm Pre owners out of, using Apple's iTunes software, I would not be surprised if there are more discussions among frustrated customers about reverse engineering Apple products.

"We hope that Apple has learned its lesson here, and will give those online discussions a wide berth in the future."