Apple prohibits AltConf from streaming WWDC content

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2015
It appears Apple is instituting tight control over WWDC content for 2015, as the company on Thursday threatened legal action against AltConf if it moved forward with plans to stream the yearly keynote and subsequent sessions to attendees at an offsite location.

AltConf


AltConf, a developers conference traditionally held in San Francisco during the same week as WWDC, usually streams Apple's keynote presentation and other content to attendees, but this year Apple is taking a hardline stance against such activity.

The cancellation was announced through the AltConf website on Thursday, just minutes after Release Notes tweeted out an ad for the free event at hotel Parc 55. Event organizers this year introduced a $300 ticket option, though access to the WWDC viewing room was supposedly free to all.
Due to a letter from Apple's legal representatives, AltConf will not be able to show any content from WWDC in the Viewing Room. In its place, sessions will be shown from Google I/O, Microsoft's Build, NSConference, 360|iDev, and UIKonf. All AltConf speaking sessions have remained untouched and will proceed as scheduled.
Apple is offering its own keynote stream to Apple TV owners, iOS device users and through the Web, while developers can access live lab sessions by visiting Apple's Developer website.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 29
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member

    I'm not a developer and so have no horse in this race, but it seems to me that if WWDC is sold out (and it always is) then it can only help Apple to have the keynote shown at another developer conference taking place simultaneously.

     

    I could understand if they were charging for the event, but it's a free online stream.

  • Reply 2 of 29
    ronboronbo Posts: 669member

    There's better reporting of this elsewhere (as is all too often the case for AI, these days, I'm afraid). To summarize though: In previous years, AltConf restreamed with no apparent objections from Apple. This time, AltConf wanted to charge people $300 a head to watch. I agree with Apple. That really does crosses the line.

  • Reply 3 of 29
    gregquinngregquinn Posts: 77member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

     

    I'm not a developer and so have no horse in this race, but it seems to me that if WWDC is sold out (and it always is) then it can only help Apple to have the keynote shown at another developer conference taking place simultaneously.

     

    I could understand if they were charging for the event, but it's a free online stream.


    I agree; Apple could have handled this better rather than sending a c&d letter

  • Reply 4 of 29
    sockrolidsockrolid Posts: 2,789member

    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post

     

    ... This time, AltConf wanted to charge people $300 a head to watch. I agree with Apple. That really does crosses the line.


     

    Dick move by AltConf.

  • Reply 5 of 29
    idreyidrey Posts: 647member
    ronbo wrote: »
    There's better reporting of this elsewhere (as is all too often the case for AI, these days, I'm afraid). To summarize though: In previous years, AltConf restreamed with no apparent objections from Apple. This time, AltConf wanted to charge people $300 a head to watch. I agree with Apple. That really does crosses the line.

    In that case, completely agree with Apple!
    Thanks for the missing part of the story.
  • Reply 6 of 29
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    gregquinn wrote: »
    I agree; Apple could have handled this better rather than sending a c&d letter

    Such as?
  • Reply 7 of 29
    suddenly newtonsuddenly newton Posts: 13,819member
    Please don't let me interrupt your "Apple is big evily corporation" narratives, people. Keep them coming, no matter how illogical.
  • Reply 8 of 29
    ksecksec Posts: 1,569member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ronbo View Post

     

    There's better reporting of this elsewhere (as is all too often the case for AI, these days, I'm afraid). To summarize though: In previous years, AltConf restreamed with no apparent objections from Apple. This time, AltConf wanted to charge people $300 a head to watch. I agree with Apple. That really does crosses the line.


     

    Thanks for the Real News, i think this cross the line as well.

     

    On another note, News today are just too damn crap, no one bother to find answers, instead they all decide to do catchy headline as quickly as possible.

  • Reply 9 of 29
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    gregquinn wrote: »
    I agree; Apple could have handled this better rather than sending a c&d letter

    Like giving them free hugs, right? You're so sure they could have handled it better, yet didn't even bother to provide a plausible alternative, nor do you know if apple tried to take other steps before this one. Well done.
  • Reply 10 of 29
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member
    it would be helpful if folks who made claims posted links. it just strengthens the case for those of us who are apple fans. this is the only thing i could find:
    http://www.theapplepips.com/altconf-barred-from-streaming-wwdc-keynote-developer-sessions-mac-blog/
  • Reply 11 of 29
    duh.
  • Reply 12 of 29
    shardshard Posts: 96member

    It is simple, they tried to profit off it and Apple stopped them.

  • Reply 13 of 29
    moreckmoreck Posts: 187member
    I can't decide whether this is ultimately good or bad for Apple's image.
  • Reply 14 of 29
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    Not sure Apple can legally do anything about it. Apple is making a free public stream available on the Internet. AltConf is not charging money to watch the stream. They are suggesting a $300 ticket donation for their whole conference but the stream was not being charged for. IIUC. So I am not sure Apple would prevail.
  • Reply 15 of 29
    longfanglongfang Posts: 445member
    chadbag wrote: »
    Not sure Apple can legally do anything about it. Apple is making a free public stream available on the Internet. AltConf is not charging money to watch the stream. They are suggesting a $300 ticket donation for their whole conference but the stream was not being charged for. IIUC. So I am not sure Apple would prevail.

    Sure they would prevail. It'd be as simple as having a no public performance notice as part of the stream.
  • Reply 16 of 29
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member

    Not sure what Apple has to gain by doing this.  Seems petty.

  • Reply 17 of 29
    markbyrnmarkbyrn Posts: 661member
    It's about a 99% chance here that one or more of the AltConf attendees bristled at the thought of these clowns profiting from broadcasting the free keynote and dimed them out. Kudos to whoever did it.
  • Reply 18 of 29
    ajminnjajminnj Posts: 40member

    I see two issues with what AltConf was planning to do.

     

    1) Charging for a live stream that is free.

    2) Streaming subsequent sessions.  These sessions have always been behind a Apple Developer Program login only.  I forget where the notice is, but there is a reminder that the sessions (at least the current year) are under a NDA.  To do this they either login with a developer account and violate the NDA or they are filming in the back of the developer only sessions.

     

    The second by itself is enough for a C&D letter, although I do agree that the first is more of a gray area.

     

    For those of you who want links, #2 was confirmed by AltConf's own post http://altconf.pr.co/103476-altconf-streaming-of-wwdc-content-cancelled.

  • Reply 19 of 29
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    ajminnj wrote: »
    I see two issues with what AltConf was planning to do.

    1) Charging for a live stream that is free.
    2) Streaming subsequent sessions.  These sessions have always been behind a Apple Developer Program login only.  I forget where the notice is, but there is a reminder that the sessions (at least the current year) are under a NDA.  To do this they either login with a developer account and violate the NDA or they are filming in the back of the developer only sessions.

    The second by itself is enough for a C&D letter, although I do agree that the first is more of a gray area.

    For those of you who want links, #2 was confirmed by AltConf's own post http://altconf.pr.co/103476-altconf-streaming-of-wwdc-content-cancelled.

    They're not charging for the stream alone. The $300 is for the entire conference which includes the WWDC keynote.
  • Reply 20 of 29
    jessijessi Posts: 302member
    It's important to note there's a big difference between the keynote and other sessions... which AI doesn't seem to understand.

    The keynote is public and you can get it as a podcast from iTunes afterwards. Everyone gets to watch the keynote.

    The sessions, however, are private and released under NDA only to people who have agreed to keep their content secret until the relevant software is released.

    This allows Apple to bring developers up to speed, without everything being released before its ready.

    However, since Apple has become popular, a lot of non developers have decided that they want this kind of info and started pirating beta versions of the software and sharing videos of sessions and the like. Apple has to fight that because it's necessary to protect their intellectual property (not that google isn't sending people to WWDC-- they are-- but they can't use what they learn there on google products that compete with Apple products until after the Apple products are released-- at least in theory, but if they did they could open google up to a lot of legal liability for violating the contract.)
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