Apple iPhone Leak

Apple iPhone Leak: Crime, Marketing Ploy or First Amendment Issue?

The repercussions of tech blog Gizmodo's blockbuster iPhone scoop continue to build. The latest development: Police have put a criminal investigation of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen on hold until it's determined whether journalistic protections apply to this case.

Tech news website Gizmodo got hold of a prototype of the iPhone 4G after it was left in a bar in Redwood City, Calif., shown here.

(Courtesy Gizmodo.com)

The leak has sparked lively online debate, triggering arguments as to whether bloggers are journalists, whether Gizmodo's actions were illegal or merely unethical, and whether Apple orchestrated the whole to-do as an elaborate marketing ploy.
For those just tuning in to the story, here's what's happened so far: After the new generation iPhone was left behind in a bar by an Apple engineer, Gizmodo said it paid $5,000 to the person who found it, and the blog's April 19 analysis of the prototype quickly dominated headlines.