iPhone 4 Theft Charges Dropped for Gizmodos Jason Chen

Remember back a few months ago when the folks at Gizmodo had a large opportunity in purchasing an iPhone 4 weeks before it was released to the public? Turns out they did indeed get in some rather large potential trouble for said incident, but that as of today, San Mateo County prosecutors will no longer be pursuing criminal charges against tech blogger Jason Chen (or any other Gizmodo employees), though the same can’t be said about the man who sold the device TO Chen. March 2010 was the time, the Internet was the place, and the San Mateo County court in California is no longer the venue.


The above image is a legally obtained device, if you were wondering!
Prosecutor Morley Pit noted today that charges would no longer be pursued against Gizmodo’s Jason Chen or anyone else employed by Gizmodo as “too much gray area” was found in state law which protects journalists’ unpublished notes from seizure. How does this have anything to do with the device in question? You might also recall Chen’s house being raided soon after Gizmodo posted images of the iPhone 4 as well. Turns out that’s the point of contention.
On the other hand, the two men who were found guilty of possessing and selling the iPhone 4 prototype after they “found” it in a Redwood City bar have indeed had misdemeanor charges filed against them. This all goes to show you that no matter how awesome the “leak” post is, you should always double check to see if what you’re posting is indeed a stolen device. Nothing is worth getting in gigantic trouble with the law.