Apple has been able to identify and file lawsuits against the three developers that it believes were responsible for leaking the pre-release version of Mac OS X "Tiger" onto the internet. The OS was made available through P2P file sharing networks illegally.

In the filing, Apple noted that the company's operating results and financial condition are dependent on the ability to continue to develop improvements to the Mac OS and related software, according to news reports.

The company estimates that on one BitTorrent site, more than 2,500 copies of a Tiger version have been downloaded.

"Tiger" is not due to be released until early 2005, and contains many new technological enhancements, including enhanced search technologies. No public test versions have been released, though, and Apple takes this leak very seriously indeed.