Psyonara, Redux
by John Paczkowski
Posted on May 26, 2009 at 10:51 AM PT
Interesting turn of events in the Apple-Psystar spat. Psystar, the unauthorized Mac clone maker, has filed for bankruptcy. Seems the company’s acrimonious legal battle with Apple and the souring economy have had a deleterious effect on its finances. “Due to the weakened economy, Debtor has had no alternative but to commence these Chapter 11 proceedings,” Psystar explained in its Chapter 11 filing. “Debtor sales have been greatly affected by the decrease in consumer spending. The financial crisis has also caused creditors to tighten up their terms and become more demanding for immediate payment. Debtor’s vendors due to their own financial problems are not being able to supply all necessary items to allow Debtor to produce their product, thus, forcing Debtor to pay higher prices for parts in order to fulfill customer orders in a timely manner and to assure satisfaction with the product. These factors seriously contribute to the Debtor not being able to turn a significant profit in each sale.”
Also: Debtor is suffering under mounting legal costs as it is steadily beaten into submission by Apple (AAPL) and its notoriously vicious legal team.
Pystar’s bankruptcy declaration will delay Apple’s copyright-infringement suit against it, but only temporarily. In the meantime, the company will be allowed to continue to do business and perhaps, strengthen its defense. But on June 5, the date of its bankruptcy hearing, things could get nasty. Psystar will almost certainly be forced to reveal its financial backers, and if they are the nefarious Svengalis that Apple claims, there may be hell to pay.
