] "Cricket Media recently released 'Netflix Fanatic', an
] OSX based shareware app that lets you manage your rental
] queue without logging on to Netflix. An article on Think
] Secret reveals the reason behind it's mysterious
] disappearance. Apparently the developer's employer,
] Apple, has claimed ownership over the application's name
] and source code.

Apple really shows their true colors here. On my own time with my own resources is not your fucking property. Employers have gotten away with contracts like this because they have the resources to afford the attorneys, many employees don't understand the contracts, and those that come under fire usually don't have the resources to defend themselves. People that DO understand these contracts often find it impossible to negotiate with employers. I've turned down jobs over this in the past.

Contracts of this sort are specifically designed to remove incentives to innovate. They allow employers to prevent employees from developing anything that might threaten established businesses, while also removing the financial rewards from innovations that employers do approve of. There is absolutely no aspect of these contracts which meet the Constituional goals of Intellectual Property (promoting science and the useful arts); These contracts are typically far far too overbroad to be seen as protecting employers from unfair competition. They are specifically designed to eliminate distruptive innovation and uphold the status quo.

Can the government really use powers granted by the Consititution to craft laws that are specifically designed to be used by citizens in a manner that is destructive to goals of the Constitution?

Legal, or illegal, its obviously wrong.

Slashdot | Apple Claims Ownership of Shareware -- DON'T WORK FOR APPLE