[gnicholas]

Not sure why this is getting downvoted – IAAL and this is definitely something worth considering. This particular type of law varies from state to state, and can be quite broad. I've talked with other lawyers about it in the past, and my understanding is that it's frequently asserted when companies make counterclaims in business litigation.

That doesn't mean it's a sure winner, just that it's a live question until more info is known. I imagine Apple would say they need to tighten up any parts of their system that could allow for spoofing or other security issues, and that was their 'legitimate' reason to make these changes.

[D13Fd]

I think most or all states recognize that the defendant’s actions must not be justified or privileged. It’s hard to imagine how Beeper would meet that element on these facts.

[cqqxo4zV46cp]

I’m not a lawyer, but I do know how computers work. I’d bet the farm on the very safe assumption that any protocol change that blocks a third-party client at the very least can plausibly be claimed to be in service of security, and most likely be a legitimate claim in reality. It is probably being downvoted because it’s incredibly far-fetched.

[gnicholas]

I agree that this would be their argument. But as other commenters mention, this area could be a minefield for Apple due to their dominance in various markets. It's possible they wouldn't want to get sucked into a lawsuit about this, even if they thought they could win, since they might end up making statements that would have a larger detrimental effects in other cases/potential cases.