Acclaimed Apple news site Think Secret is to close, following the settlement of a lawsuit from Apple.

The site's proprietor, 22-year-old Harvard student Nick Ciarelli, said in a short statement:

"Apple and Think Secret have settled their lawsuit, reaching an agreement that results in a positive solution for both sides. As part of the confidential settlement, no sources were revealed and Think Secret will no longer be published. Nick Ciarelli, Think Secret's publisher, said 'I'm pleased to have reached this amicable settlement, and will now be able to move forward with my college studies and broader journalistic pursuits.'"

Apple sued Think Secret almost three years ago, alleging (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/20/prosecute_apple_leakers/) that it leaked trade secrets.

In a parallel legal action Apple sued two other news sites, O'Grady's Power Page and AppleInsider. It later emerged that Apple had issued the lawsuits before conducting a thorough internal investigation.

Co-founder Steve Wozniak urged Apple to call off the dogs (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/22/wozniak_stop_bullying/) - arguing that it damaged the reputation of the company. Apple has yet to sue a professional news organisation for publishing similar stories. ®

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