Judge unseals documents in Gizmodo case, finder offered extra $3500 and bonus for lost iPhone

@Herchu

A smartphone is more like a wallet filled with an ID and credit cards or house keys.

If I find your wallet, does that make it my property? Can I sell your house keys or social security card to the highest bidder? How about if I find your laptop? Cani run to the pawnshop with it?

California law is that you should return property to the owner. From what I read, there were about a hundred things he could have done to accomplish that. He deserves what he gets.

What I really love about this is how immature and stupid Gizmodo's snarky letters to Apple look in the middle of a factual, professional police report.

They just look like total douchebags now.

LOL it gets better with each revelation for Gizmodo (stopped reading their drivel years ago) anyway looks like they are for the high jump. I wonder if they regret sending that smartass letter back to Apple now? Go to ----->JAIL

Well, I just finished reading the entire affidavit. So far is very clear. The lost iPhone turned into a stolen property, the moment Hogan found out who the owner was and did nothing to return it. He also knew very quickly it was a very valuable item. Jason Chen knew the phone was stolen, he bought it and right at that moment he lost whatever shield law could have protected him.
The search warrant is valid. Shield laws do not protect journalist, when they're committing a crime ( felony in this case).
Apple has a very strong case here. Hogan lawyers said it's all a mistake. Well, boasting how you'll get a lot of money from entities like Giz ( he contacted 3 known entities: PC Mag, Giz and Engadget), trying to conceal evidence, using your friend to conceal evidence, yep, I said a very big mistake.
We'll see how hard Apple and the authorities will comedown on all parties involved.

My personal opinion: Jason Chen, Brian Lam should never be allowed to call themselves " journalist", they are anything but.

In these matters all we really have in the end is the law. The court of public opinion is meaningless. I'm sure this will all get sorted out by due process (one of the things that makes America so great!).

But, in this person's opinion, I hope they fry and are fined a several million dollars in damages. These fu**ers knew exactly what they were doing and that it was criminal. Furthermore, Gizmodo should be shut down. That site blows anyway, especially compared to Engadget.

PWNED.

Martinson turned Hogan in, because Hogan had plugged the phone into her laptop in an attempt to get it working again after Apple remotely disabled it. She was convinced that Apple would be able to trace her Internet IP address as a result. “Therefore she contacted Apple in order to absolve herself of criminal responsibility,” according to the detective who wrote the affidavit.

Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/05/roommate-iphone/#ixzz0nx6yK8V9

Hey @don't bother, I agree with your view about the iPhone, but dude, even hypothetically (and unlike a phone) a person's girlfriend is not their property. Think up a better analogy. Because the fact is that "upon returning her to you" (FFS!), it would in fact legally be none of your business — unlike the phone, which California statute clearly defines as stolen property under the circumstances it was presented to Gizmodo.

It's pretty hard to play the "I didn't know" card once you see all the evidence.

I'm wondering if this was a concerted effort to stake out and steal a prototype Iphone. Not "someone left it", but someone actually intentionally stealing the phone.

There's a lot more to come on this, I bet.

Giz did the right thing. Even if this entire affair wasn't "legal," it was ethically fair game.

Apple lost the phone, Giz gave it back. What they did with it while it was in their possession is nobody's business.