...at least it's lawyers have.

Should online journalists receive the same rights as traditional reporters?

Apple claims they should not. Its lawyers say in court documents that Web scribes are not "legitimate members of the press" when they reveal details about forthcoming products that the company would prefer to keep confidential.

Don't let the last "when they reveal" part confuse you. Apple is arguing that bloggers are not "legitimate members of the press" and therefore should not be given the same protections as "legitimate members."

This is deeply uncool for the company that mocked the rest of the computer industry back in 1984.

An auditorium full of spiritless drones watches as "Big Brother" (IBM) prattles on about the anniversary of the "Information Purification Directives" on a gigantic television screen. Suddenly, from the back of the hall, a blonde woman in shorts and a headband comes running toward the screen, hurls a slow-motion sledgehammer (the new Mac) and shatters it. "On Jan. 24, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh," the voice over says. "And you'll see why 1984 won't be like "1984."

In other news General Motors has announced that noncommercial civilian drivers are not legitimate users of the Interstate system.

If Apple felt that this position was necessary to win their case, they should have dropped the case. They've thrown the sledgehammer out with the bathwater.