App Store Copycats Add To Developer Woes

The App Store is under fire again. This time, it's not because of the perceived errors in the approval process that we've written about before. It looks like that a number of developers have been getting ripped off by their less reputable brethren as copycat apps begin to populate the online store. What's even more troubling is how blatant the duplication is.

The problem isn't just that these copycats are similar in concept or execution, but that they directly copy artwork, product descriptions, icons, and names, though sometimes the name or artwork is slightly modified.

In some cases, the artwork between two apps is the same. In others, the copycat is a free version of a paid one. And yes, the opposite happens as well. And what has Apple been doing to address this? It says that it "respects the intellectual property rights of others" and "may, in its sole discretion, terminate the accounts of users who violate others’ intellectual property rights." As of this time, Apple has made no motion to remove the copycat apps from the App Store.

Source

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