Huge mistake by Apple; this is one of the few features that Palm hasn't (yet) confirmed for the Pre, and it's one that business users in particular want. Heck, Apple itself sells a Bluetooth keyboard! {ProfJonathan}

The Palm T|X is among the most flexible, portable, Wi-Fi enabled devices out there, and should fit your needs really well. If you can find one, of course. {ProfJonathan}

Where exactly does a Web site "do business"? Geolocation is far from perfect, and while Google may have facilities in Europe, essentially all Web sites are available there, so even your local pizzeria with a brochureware Web page is potentially subject to Italian prosecution just like Google. Or French. Or Saudi. Just ask Dow Jones, which was successfully sued in Australia under Australian law for defamation based upon an article on the Barrons.com Web site.

The Internet is without borders, but the law isn't. That's the real challenge here, and it's one that is becoming more and more problematic for companies of all sizes, in all industries, as they expand their online operations. {ProfJonathan}

As the poster of the original article, I'll point out that assuming that "plain text" is "the most protected form of speech going" is a very US-only attitude. Protected speech implies *something* protecting it, in the US' case the First Amendment to the Constitution, plus 200+ years of court opinions interpreting that amendment. There was *nothing* guaranteeing that US courts would define online content, whether plain text or video, as "speech" of any kind, nor that forum hosts would be immune from liability for such content posted by 3rd parties (witness the Stratton Oakmont v. Prodigy case, which led Congress to adopting the very broad 47 USC 230 to both overturn Stratton Oakmont and help the nascent Internet industry thrive).

This current case, and the others like it, set up a potential countermovement away from allowing user-posted content including that which I'm typing right now, a countermovement that could, if it grows, stifle the value of the Internet as a many-to-many communications medium. {ProfJonathan}

It wasn't that Superman didn't press charges; it was that by the time Superman needed to testify against Luthor in court, he'd left the Earth (chasing, if the prequel comic is to be believed, a rumor of Krypton that was started by the self-same Lex Luthor for that very purpose). {ProfJonathan}

While IAAL and a law professor to boot, this isn't legal advice but general information .

Even if you don't take and use the code, you are facing some potential issues on a number of fronts:

1) Patent: Your (former) employer may have (or have filed for) a patent on the function and/or operation of the existing software. Even if you redesign from scratch, you could be infringing that patent once it is issued. Conversely, your ability to yourself obtain a patent on your new work (which adds to its potential commercial value) is probably limited or non-existent, given the "prior art" of your former employer's product.

2) Copyright: To the extent that your new product, independent code or otherwise, looks the same, you could face liability for copyright violations on the visuals of the old product. Beyond that, you would probably need to use "clean room" development techniques to create any new product, in order to be able to demonstrate that you did not utilize the old one in your work, since copyright infringement can be demonstrated by substantial similarity plus access; if your code too closely mirrors the old app, you could be deemed infringing even if you in fact rewrote it from scratch. "Clean room" methods help with that.

3) Beyond the non-compete (which may or may not be enforceable), you'll have to consider any non-disclosure agreements to which your team is subject, both from a contract perspective and to the extent your former employer brings a lawsuit alleging violation of its trade secrets (separate but related to intellectual property). Further, to the extent your work incorporates ideas arising out of projects done for your former employer's customers, there could be non-disclosures with those customers which you might be sued for violating.

Bottom line: if (or when) you get sued by your former employer, you will have to prove the negative, namely that you didn't steal any of its proprietary info. Beyond that effort, you may also be violating its general IP rights regardless of copying. {ProfJonathan}