Yesterday, we reported that Apple had taken the unusual step of both suing and filing-to-dismiss its own lawsuit against the Fei Lam, the teenager who sold Steve Wozniak along with hundreds of others their own white iPhone 4 conversion kits.
That was weird enough. Even weirder? This is the first Fei Lam himself has heard about the case being settled.
In an interesting interview with Fast Company, Fei — who used contacts in China to launch his own business, WhiteiPhone4Now.com, and made as much as $8,000 a day before Apple’s lawyers C&Ded him — says that while he will be meeting with Apple’s laywers in NYC soon, he not only hasn’t settled… he can’t even afford a lawyer to defend himself with.
Q: When did you first find out about the lawsuit? Did Apple call or send a letter?
A: I came back from school today and saw your email. Lol.Q: So have your parents mostly been handling the case then?
A: I told Apple’s lawyer that I’m sick and to meet when I get better. That was last week. I’m been handling the whole thingQ: So you have not settled?
A: I think that will be decided in the meeting.>
It’s a bit hard to parse what to think of all this. On one hand, it seems pretty bogus for Apple to be sending a team of lawyers into a meeting with a teenage kid who can’t afford representation, but on the other hand, it looks like Apple’s not really interested in taking this very far. After all, they’ve already filed motion to dismiss. My guess is they are just trying to make a public wrist-slap of the whole thing, and otherwise, let Fei get on with his life. But should proceedings really have even gotten this far to begin with?
