Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, Apple, ipod shuffle
Wacky Apple lawsuit of the day: Apple conspiring with Italian Mafia
Just when you think you've heard everything, along comes an Apple lawsuit that simply defies reality.Beverly Hills, CA resident Gregory McKenna has filed a 124-page complaint in a U.S. District Court in Missouri against Apple and a group of other defendants, including the F.B.I., the St. Louis County Police Department, and an auto mechanic. Why? Well, McKenna alleges that Apple conspired with the Italian Mafia to affix special receivers to an iPod shuffle he purchased on eBay and an iPod mini purchased in an Apple Store. These receivers were allegedly used by the Mafia to transmit threatening messages to the iPods.
Okaayyyyy. So, what were these messages? Well, first there was the time in 2008 where recordings of Mafia members saying "I'm going to kill him" were played in unison with a song on McKenna's iPod mini. The most serious message was apparently transmitted not only to his iPods, but also to an iBook G4, a PowerBook G4, and three vehicles including his mother's Honda Accord.
The "message" consisted of the word "herpes" being inserted into the song "Still Tippin'" by hip-hop/rap artist Mike Jones. Mr. McKenna alleges that this was done "to humiliate, degrade, and cause emotional distress" to him. While apparently the Mafia was using the messages to coerce McKenna into doing fashion modeling for them in New York City (I am not making this up), I'd speculate that it's probably Apple's way to get him to purchase newer equipment.
[via AppleInsider]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Duncan said 1:37PM on 7-20-2009
"The "message" consisted of the word "herpes" being inserted into the song "Still Tippin'" by hip-hop/rap artist Mike Jones. Mr. McKenna alleges that this was done "to humiliate, degrade, and cause emotional distress" to him. While apparently the Mafia was using the messages to coerce McKenna into doing fashion modeling for them in New York City (I am not making this up), I'd speculate that it's probably Apple's way to get him to purchase newer equipment. "
Wait, what?
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Scott said 1:43PM on 7-20-2009
It never occurred to this person that he lives in Beverly Hills? It was probably just his neighbors being drunk.
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Kermit said 1:47PM on 7-20-2009
Errr...someone needs help
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Metryq said 1:48PM on 7-20-2009
You mean Hitler and UFOs aren't part of this, too?
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takamaru said 1:50PM on 7-20-2009
What's a iPod mini? Larger than a shuffle and smaller than a nano?
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Charlie said 2:00PM on 7-20-2009
takamaru - You don't remember the iPod mini? Maybe you wait until you're at least 13 years old to post. It's discontinued, just like the iBook and PowerBook. http://www.apple.com/support/ipodmini/
Grammer Police sez: "a iPod mini" - $50 fine. It's "an iPod mini."
accolon said 2:01PM on 7-20-2009
It's the predecessor of the iPod nano. The mini still got a harddrive instead of flash.
oboewan said 2:02PM on 7-20-2009
Larger than a nano, around the same size IIRC as a modern classic, and no longer found in the wild.
takamaru said 2:03PM on 7-20-2009
Calm down there Charlie. I just forgot about the mini. Thanks for the link and the reminder.
BTW I am WELL over 13 and still own a 13" PowerBook thankyouverymuch.
Kevlar said 2:04PM on 7-20-2009
Someone needs to get to know their iPod history...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Mini
takamaru said 2:05PM on 7-20-2009
Okay guys I had a FAIL moment. Everybody gets one!
l2234567890 said 2:07PM on 7-20-2009
13" PowerBooks? I want one. Must be a one of a kind.
They're actually 12" haha probably a typo
takamaru said 2:10PM on 7-20-2009
Damn I cannot stop with the FAIL today!
*hangs head in shame*
Pay no attention to me. Disregard my post please.
Liam said 3:33PM on 7-20-2009
" Grammer Police sez: "a iPod mini" - $50 fine. It's "an iPod mini." "
Well, technically it's just 'iPod Mini', neither 'a', nor 'an', if you follow Apple's grammar…
takamaru said 3:37PM on 7-20-2009
Oh great. Now the grammar police have found me.
I'm not as think as you drunk I am officer!
Stacky said 4:30PM on 7-20-2009
What?
bill said 1:51PM on 7-20-2009
Someone needs to cut back on the sugar before bedtime.
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Ender said 7:49PM on 7-20-2009
This is actually sort if a sad article as it probably means the guy who was hearing these messages has schitzophrenia (look up the symptoms on wikipedia). The judge should order him to get some mental help.
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Darren Baptiste said 3:05PM on 7-20-2009
Sorry to kill the joke, but I can't bring myself to laugh at someone stuck inside such a deep, dark well of paranoia.
It sounds Mr. McKenna may be suffering from a mental illness. Is there some sort of advocate system in place down there that can get him assessed and helped?
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Ed said 5:50PM on 7-20-2009
Oh, Darren... No. No, there's not.
He is in Los Angeles... You can't throw a stick here without hitting someone at least as crazy as this guy. There's not an advocacy organization on the planet with enough funding to corral all the crazies: and this guy is together enough to file a legal briefing with the court, so he falls on the very high end of functionality.
He's not trying to bite people who walk past him on the street and I bet if I accidentally made eye contact with him, he wouldn't scream obscenities and spit at me even once.