“Digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation has called on Apple to defend iOS developers from the threat of a patent lawsuit from Lodsys over in-app purchasing functionality in iOS apps,” Josh Ong reports for AppleInsider.
“EFF staff attorney Julie Samuels published a blog post on Friday expressing concern over “Apple’s failure to defend” third-party iOS developers who received letters from Lodsys last week accusing them of infringing on a patent that covers in-app purchasing functionality,” Ong reports. “In the letters, Lodsys demanded that developers license the technology in question within 21 days or face possible legal action.”
Ong reports, “Earlier this week, reports emerged that Apple is reportedly “actively investigating” Lodsys’ claims, though it has not committed to defending the developers accused of infringement.”
Read more in the full article here.
The EFF blog post by Julie Samuels is here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn W.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Following Lodsys legal threats, Apple reportedly stops approving iOS apps with In-App Purchases – May 18, 2011
Lodsys defends legal threats: Apple is licensed, iOS developers are not – May 16, 2011
Lodsys threatens Apple App Store devs with lawsuit over In-App Purchases – May 13, 2011
Apple should help iOS developers if it’s the right thing to do, regardless of EFF’s position.
And hopefully invalidate this patent in the process.
These the same “developers” that take every chance they can to rip into Apple for being so controlling and unfair. Let these idiot developers fend for themselves.
Nice way to paint 50,000+ iOS developers with the same brush, moron.
In any case the occasional disagreement among businesses is no reason to abandon them. See Apple licensing ActiveSync from Microsoft, or Google still being the default search engine and map app.
What’s good about this? Apple can take their 30% hand in the cookie jar on in App purchases and shove it. Now we don’t have to offer in App purchases. Because of this Apple’s going to fight Lodsys tooth and nail.
The “hand in the cookie jar” used to take a lot more than 30%. Lots of developers are making good money under Apple’s approach, and Apple takes care of the distribution of the software and collection of credit card payments. Apple also developed the who ecosystem and the hardware that runs iOS. It seems to me that most people that work with Apple come out winners. Would you really rather work with Microsoft or develop Android programs?
Look… Apple is going to fight the Lodsys problem because it is a threat to the ecosystem they have successfully built. They are going to do it, but not because of the EFF, and not because they are altruistic and want to save developers. They’ll do it because it is smart business. In this triangle, Lodsys is the interloper and bad guy. Don’t let people try to turn this into Apple vs Developers kind of thing…yet. Apple still has time to address this before the 21 day time period has elapsed. There will be plenty of time after that to mad at somebody for something that has actually happened.
That’s what I’m saying… It’s business.
And like Steve says: “Bidness is our bidness!”
Apple should defend the use of the tech by it’s devs, not because it’s right, but because it is the smart business move.
Strategically, if you want to hurt Apple, take out the devs and the whole eco system collapses, and no eco system means no devices sales.
Remember the big slogan for iOS devices, “There’s an App for That”, it doesn’t work if there isn’t an app for that.
Look for google or MS or some other such shadowy figure behind this whole thing.
Even corporate leaders in the US can recognize that there are sometimes worthwhile motives beyond a single-minded quest for profit.
Apple has already begun working on a counter strategy. EFF’s accusation of Apple’s “failure to defend” is like a five-year-old demanding their pancakes after 10 seconds. Apple’s method is to research a problem before attacking it, with a minimum of comment before hand.