Sick and tired of the incessant knock-offs that proliferate all over the App Store? We are too. Especially when it comes to games, this mess has gotten to the point where it can be incredibly difficult to tell what is the real app and what is the knock-off. To fix this problem, Apple has implemented a new form for disputes over intellectual property. This was introduced quietly, and it hasn’t seen much attention until the last few days.
If someone feels that an app qualifies as infringing, they can fill out the form with the proper information, and Apple will then put the accuser and the accused in contact, and they’ll provide a reference number for future dealings with the claim. From there on out, Apple wants all other correspondence about the complaint handled over email. This may not be a perfect solution, but at least it’s something.
The last thing a developer who has been ripped off on the App Store should feel is helpless, but that has been the case for some. Heck, this has happened in some fairly well known cases. This is, hopefully, a big step in the right direction. Apple doesn’t want shysters flooding the App Store — all it does is make the experience of browsing for apps suck a lot more. Hopefully the rip-off artists will be sweating just a little bit more these days.
Hat Tip: TNW, Brad Larson
