Around this time last year, Lodsys, a giant patent troll, sued developers — both large and small — for patent infringment. In their lawsuit, Lodsys claimed that developers were infringing on patents the company owned that related to in-app purchase models as well as the use of upgrade links from within an application. At the time, Apple tried to get involved, claiming that Apple Inc. licensed the technology from Lodsys for use in its iOS SDK.
Today, FOSS Patents is reporting that Apple has finally been granted permission to intervene in the Lodsys lawsuit against developers (including Rovio):
Today, finally, Apple’s motion was granted in part: “Apple is permitted to intervene in this suit, but such intervention is limited to the issues of patent exhaustion and licensing.” … Judge Rodney Gilstrap concluded that Apple was entitled to intervene, and in any event, a permissive intervention (one that the court can allow in its discretion) was also an option.
We don’t have much to say, other than that we really hope Apple’s legal team shows Lodsys the business. Suing independant developers for using an Apple sanctioned SDK is as low as it gets in the patent trolling world.
Distimo reported back in Feburary that as much as 72 percent of all revenue comes from apps that have in-app purchases. It’s no wonder Lodsys is still trying to sue the pants off of developers. There’s money to be made!
Via: FOSS Patents
Image Credit: Distimo
