$25k Mac virus competition taken offline

DVForge, a hardware peripherals company, began the competition in response to a recent Symantec report detailing increased threats to Mac OS X, but had to end it for legal reasons.

"During the first several hours after making the public announcement, I was contacted by a large number of Mac users and Mac software professionals. I have taken their advice very seriously, and have made the difficult decision to cancel our contest." said Jack Campbell, CEO at DVForge. "I have been convinced that the risk of a virus on the OS X platform is not zero, although it is remarkably close to zero. More importantly, I have been convinced that there may be legality issues stemming from such a contest, beyond those determined by our own legal counsel, prior to announcing the contest."

Campbell believed his money was safe, but industry experts said that, although difficult, a Mac OS X virus is a possibility. But Campbell still attacked Symantec for suggesting any substantial risk.

"Despite my personal distaste for what some companies have done to take advantage of virus fears among the Mac community, and my own inclination to make a bold statement in response to those fears, I have no responsible choice but to retract the contest, effective immediately," Campbell said.

www.dvforge.com