Kwakhona sithetha ngokusetyenziswa kwamalungelo obunini yinkampani esekwe eCupertino ngaphandle kokujonga ngaphambili. Ngeli xesha yayiyinkampani ye-Network-1 Technologies, eyayincedisana neMirror World Technologies, inkampani eyayibhalisa ilungelo lomenzi ngo-1999. Eli lungelo elilodwa lomenzi elinenombolo 6.006.227 ibonisa Inkqubo yokugcina ulwazi ngokulandelelana kwayo, iyafana naleyo isetyenziswa yiApple kuMatshini weXesha.
Kuyabonakala ukuba ayiloxesha lokuqala ukuba iApple ijonge enkundleni ngokusetyenziswa kwelungelo elilodwa lomenzi wechiza. Unjingalwazi weYunivesithi yase Yale uDavid Gelernter kunye nomfundi wakhe u-Eric Freeman benze le ndlela yokugcina ulwazi ngo-1996. Kamva baseka inkampani ye Mirror Worlds LLC kwaye kulapho bamangalela u-Apple.
Kwilingo lokuqala, inkampani esekwe eCupertino kwanyanzeleka ukuba ahlawule i-625 yezigidi zeedola Ngenxa yeso sizathu selungelo elilodwa lomenzi wechiza, kodwa emva konyaka kwinkqubo yesibheno, ijaji yagweba i-Apple kwaye isigwebo sangaphambili sachithwa, ukuze inkampani ingahlawuli kwanto.
Kodwa kulandela ukuthengwa kweMirror Worlds LLC yiNethiwekhi-1 yeTekhnoloji, inkampani yaya enkundleni kwakhona nenkampani kodwa ngeli xesha ngethamsanqa elingakumbi, okoko ekugqibeleni kwelityala lesibini, u-Apple ugwetyelwe ukuhlawula i-25 yezigidi zentlungu, isixa-mali esisezantsi kakhulu kuneso sigwetywe kwityala lokuqala abathi ekugqibeleni babhena.
Inkampani esekwe eRedmond iMicrosoft ikubonile ukuba ibemangalele ukusebenzisa ilungelo elilodwa lomenzi, kodwa Ngeli xesha wagwetywa kuphela i-4,6 yezigidi zeedola, inani elingaphantsi kwe-25 yezigidi zeedola ekufuneka i-Apple ihlawule ukusetyenziswa kwelungelo elilodwa lomenzi ngaphandle kokukhangela ngaphambili.