[dfranke]

It's not legitimate news. It's confidential correspondence. Arrington is seeking to bribe a Google employee to betray his employer by breaching his NDA. If the document were evidence of wrongdoing on Google's part, it would be a different matter -- the employee would be a whistleblower and his betrayal would be laudable. But that's not what we're talking about. Google is the victim of the alleged wrongdoing. If the information gets leaked, they're victimized even further by being deprived of a bargaining chip with Apple.

[mikedouglas]

It's not legitimate news.

Apple lied in an official FCC inquiry. That's news.

Arrington is seeking to bribe a Google employee to betray his employer by breaching his NDA.

The vast majority of news leaks throughout history have been based on ulterior motives; whether they are politically or financially-based, seems inconsequential. TechCrunch isn't a party to that NDA, so they should only consider the public interest of the story.

If the information gets leaked, they're victimized even further by being deprived of a bargaining chip with Apple.

What bargaining chip? The ability to collude to scuttle a government investigation? If the FCC asks for the letter, Google has to give it up anyways.

[GHFigs]

Apple lied in an official FCC inquiry.

Can someone point out the lie to me?

[vermontdevil]

Mike Arrington said so.

[ErrantX]

Your kind of assuming that Google would want the FCC investigation to conclude and effectively force Apple into accepting Voice.

But perhaps they would prefer for Apple to just get so uncomfortable over the poking around they accept Voice off bat in an attempt to take the heat off.

Which means Google have that rejection letter as big guns at any later stage.

Yes Google have to give it to the FCC if they ask for it - but if they don't ask (I am not 100% sure of the rules here) they don't have to mention it or do more than vaguely hint at it's existence.

Right?