Who says Apple doesn't listen? More to the point, who says Steve Jobs isn't aware of the rumors? Earlier today Apple posted a letter from CEO Steve Jobs indicating precisely what has been causing his weight loss (a hormone imbalance, apparently treatable) and why he won't be at the keynote (he's spending time with his family). There's a corresponding statement from the Apple board of directors offering support for Steve and confidence in his continued leadership.

Steve's no dummy. I applaud him taking this time to be with his family, and I'm personally quite happy to hear his weight loss appears to stem from a rather strange but reversible affair. While the keynote will be odd without him, let's hope this puts a little water on the doomsayers out there. Steve's not going anywhere just yet -- so everyone relax this week and enjoy the spectacle at Macworld.

In what might be the most outlandish claim yet to surface in the case, Psystar now claims that Apple never registered Mac OS X with the U.S. Copyright Office, rendering its copyright invalid, according to InformationWeek. Note that registration isn't a condition of protection, but it is a condition of certain types of infringement actions and damages.

Psystar argues, thus, that since Apple doesn't own the copyright, there's no way for Apple to enforce its claims that Psystar violated its copyright. The claim was filed in U.S. District Court last week.

Although copyright registration number TX0005401457 describes a "computer program" named Mac OS X, it's unclear how Psystar argues this isn't the copyright Apple owns on its operating system. Moreover, contrary to what Psystar appears to argue, copyright is secured automatically in the United States when the work is created, and registration is not a condition of copyright protection (although it can help in fighting infringement). Our Engadget colleague Nilay Patel sums up this latest Psystar legal stratagem as "desperate." Plus, you can file suit while registration is pending, so even if there was some technical defect in the Mac OS X registration, Apple could fix it while pursuing its lawsuit.

If this long shot claim were true, it could undermine Apple's ability to restrict third parties from selling generic clones that run Mac OS X. The back-and-forth arguments are part of a lawsuit Apple originally brought against Psystar for selling Mac OS X with its clones, allegedly in violation of Apple's license agreement. According to InformationWeek, Apple now suspects that a larger company interested in selling Mac OS X-compatible computers is bankrolling Psystar's legal battle.

[Via Engadget.]

The French government's competition watchdog told Apple that it must allow other carriers besides Orange to offer the iPhone. Orange is a subsidiary of France Telecom.

In September, Orange competitor Bouygues Telecom SA filed a complaint with the Competition Council about the exclusivity agreement. While a decision hasn't been reached on the merit of Bouygues' argument, today's order was a "protective measure" as the Council continues its investigation, likely to take a year or more.

Both SFR (the second-largest carrier in France) and Bouygues Telecom (the third largest) hope to begin selling the handsets soon.

In a statement, the Competition Council said that the Apple-Orange agreement posed a "serious and immediate threat" to competition among carriers, and higher costs for customers.

France Telecom plans to appeal the decision.

[Via BusinessWeek and Reuters.]

In a surprise announcement, Apple said that next month's Macworld Expo will be its last. The company doesn't plan on exhibiting at the event after 2009.

Also, Steve Jobs will not be giving the keynote address, handing that honor to Phil Schiller, senior VP of worldwide product marketing. It will be Apple's final keynote address at the event.

In a press release, Apple said it has scaled back its presence at other trade shows, including NAB, Macworld New York, Macworld Tokyo, and Apple Expo in Paris.

This will be the 25th Macworld Expo. Steve Jobs had given the keynote address since 1997, when he returned to the company as interim CEO.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

• The iPhone is 2007's Gadget of the Year
• The iPhone is 2007's Invention of the Year
• The MacBook Pro was Gadget of the Week back in 2006
• Several appearances on the cover

You have to admire Psystar's tenacity. Since Judge William Alsup's decision to disallow federal antitrust claims against Apple in Psystar's countersuit, Psystar is amending its countersuit, alleging the misuse of copyright based on different antitrust claims.

It boggles the mind.

Apple is already suing Psystar, of course, claiming that they are violating Mac OS X's End User License Agreement (EULA). Psystar, in its new set of counterclaims, says that Apple is improperly extending the scope of copyright law to include its argument that Psystar broke the EULA.

Psystar claims that -- while admitting that it can't make arguments based on federal antitrust law -- Apple has "leveraged" the power granted them by the Copyright Act and extended it to lock in users post-sale. This, Psystar says, is unlawfully monopolistic, and makes Apple's copyrights unenforceable.

Psystar is also seeking to prove that Apple's behavior is illegal under California's unfair competition statute.

The judge will decide in January if the new claims can be argued in court.

[Via Ars Technica.]

In yet another new facet to this already-draining legal battle surrounding Psystar's sales of non-Apple hardware that runs Mac OS X, Apple has amended its original suit after it discovered "additional information," according to Computerworld.

Apple now claims Psystar circumvented Apple's copyright protection code, in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Apple said in its original filing that Psystar was in violation of the Mac OS X End-User License Agreement, but tacked on this additional charge last week.

The amendment also names 10 "John Does" -- persons who were not part of the Psystar company, but broke the copyright protection scheme. Apple doesn't know who they are yet, but plans to name names when its lawyers find out who they are.

In other Apple legal news, Apple won a trademark infringement case in China against New Apple Concept Digital Technology Co., Ltd., based in Shenzen. Judges decided that the Chinese company had a logo too similar to Apple's. New Ap -- aw, eff it -- NACDTCL was ordered to pay 400,000 yuan (≈ US$58,000) to Apple, Inc.

[Via Cult of Mac.]

It's not even December, yet Macworld rumors are starting to fly. Digital Times is reporting that Apple is among the vendors ready to use Intel's new 65W low-power desktop CPUs, specifically designed for all-in-one computers. The lower heat output makes these great little chips for the iMac.

Additionally, these chips would come with a faster bus, and even run a bit cheaper than the dual core chips Apple is currently using - the 2.33GHz, 2.66GHz and 2.83GHz chips cost $245, $320 and $369, respectively, according to Digital Times.

The iMac has been the star of many Macworld keynote speeches, and we expect the same this year. See you in January!

[Via Electronista]

If rumors are to believed, Apple will do its part to stimulate the economy on November 28th, also known as "Black Friday" here in the US.

Generally recognized as the start of the holiday shopping season, the day after Thanksgiving is when retailers lure shoppers out of their beds at ungodly hours with the promise of huge discounts. Yes, nothing says "let's go shopping at 5AM" like a stomach full of tryptophan.

While Apple has not revealed their Black Friday plans, analyst Ben Reitzes of Barclays Capital says he expects aggressive pricing to compete with a dismal economy and significant offers from competitors. For instance, some American big box stores are expected to drop PC prices below $300US. How will Apple do it? Twenty-five billion dollars in cash reserves and no debt certainly helps.

So go easy on the Schlitz and set your alarms for The Crack of Dawn. There are deals to be had.

Update: Yes, the image originally accompanying this post had the appointment listed on the 27th. Let's just say it was a test of your skills of observation.