June 1, 2008

AppleCore Pulls Apple TV Hack Drive From Shelves, Cites Fair Use Doctrine

back1(2).jpg Only a few days back we first told you about the aTV Flash Drive from AppleCore, a handy little flash drive that allows you to "hack" your Apple TV to add a bunch of new functions without all the work of searching the web for how-to's and tutorials. It turns out now that AppleCore is pulling the aTV for the time being citing "questions arising regarding the fair use of a particular file present on the aTV Flash, and conflicting opinions as to whether or not it falls under the fair use category". Apparently the product withdrawal was completely voluntary; not due to pressure from Apple. The company says that in their "interpretation of the fair use doctrine, (their) software does not cross any lines, but since this is a grey area issue, (they) have taken a proactive approach and decided to seek clarifcation directly from the rights holder before (they) offer the product again." All those who have already order the product will have their orders canceled and refunded, but we hope we'll see the aTV Flash Drive available again in the near future.

Via AppleCore