Psystar v. Apple drags on, company claims Apple doesn't own Mac OS X copyright

Jordan Golson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:49:00 -0500

Psystar, the company that attempted to sell generic computer hardware with Apple's Mac OS X operating system on it before being slapped down by an Apple lawsuit, now says that Apple doesn't own the copyright for Mac OS X.

Psystar claims that Apple hasn't registered copyrights with the appropriate authorities and is therefore "prohibited from bringing action against" the firm for the alleged infringement of the supposedly nonexistent copyrights. This is, as one lawyer put it to me, "flinging shit against the wall and hoping it sticks."

Psystar's legal tactic is, to put it mildly, a long shot. Registering a copyright is not required for legal protections to be granted (though it helps, especially when pursuing damages). If, somehow, Psystar is successful with this strategy, it could hamper Apple's ability to restrict sales of third-party Mac clones.