Comments on: Apple Rejects iDroid Application

By: Lukehluke

Lukehluke — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:11:59 +0000

I want to see the app :(

By: roy

roy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:09:30 +0000

WOW!

Abuse monopoly much?

FAIL!

By: kenta wilson

kenta wilson — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:43:33 +0000

I love my Droid but putting bookmarks in the market is not cool. Do I really need antivirus protection for my phone as well? So to me the way they run their store is not bad at all.

By: asqwerth

asqwerth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:52:49 +0000

@The infamous Joe – I referred not to Trademark law but Copyright law (post 25). Someone holds the copyright in the red eye graphic, and it’s not the maker of the iDroid app (as I said, I’m not sure about the font used for the DROID logo; the DROID logo as artwork is also different from it as a trademark). He may have meant it as a tribute, but he is reproducing someone else’s work without permission. As an example, the maker of the Tricorder app for Android does not use samples of actual sounds from Trek; he came up with his own so as not to infringe copyright. He also designed the Tricorder UI using a LCARS-type scheme, but he did not rip off an actual screen design seen on Trek. In contrast, an iPhone tricorder app was apparently pulled from the App Store because it used actual Trek sounds and tried to faithfully reproduce the tricorder UI/display from Trek.
Of course I know copyright issues may not be the only reason Apple pulled the Droid app off its shelves, but that does not make the copyright reason less valid.

By: ari-free

ari-free — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:03:44 +0000

I would have much more respect for Apple if they just rejected buggy harmful apps. But no, they have to go after everyone they disagree with.

By: Be.

Be. — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:36:35 +0000

this is great!!! LOL.

this like Howard Stern coming into town and quickly attacking #1 disc jockeys in each city and coming up with small and tactful attacks on his competitors.

I love it.

By: Jouten

Jouten — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:23:46 +0000

@The infamous Joe TMI!! TMI!!!

“…and it was like switching from briefs to boxers…”

By: The infamous Joe

The infamous Joe — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:58:39 +0000

@flyboisk8er

Trademark is designed to prevent customer confusion. I cannot make a homemade soda and mark it as Coca Cola, because it’s not. If I buy a Coca Cola and then put an ad in the paper saying how awesome it is trying to resell the Coca Cola, I am not violating any trademarks because I am, indeed, selling a Coca Cola.

Similarly, an app that accurately describes the Droid, refers to the Droid, using the same selling points that Verizon uses for the Droid, is not violating any trademarks any more than my excessive use of the word Droid in this paragraph about a Droid violates the Droid trademark.

Apple didn’t allow it because Apple demands absolute control of their device even after you buy it.

Disclaimer: I recently switched from a (jailbroken) 3G iPhone to a Droid, and it was like switching from briefs to boxers. I feel so free!

By: Jochen

Jochen — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:02:07 +0000

HAHAHAHAA
“iDon’t allow freedom of choice.”

That’s a good one!!

By: flyboisk8er

flyboisk8er — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:25:07 +0000

asqwerth is absolutly correct.

“Droid” is a registered trademark of LucasFilm, and if they failed to obtain the proper permissions for its usage than of course apple would not allow it. There may not be anything sinister going on here guys.

By: Alvin

Alvin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:34:33 +0000

So, there is an app for that too!

By: Morten

Morten — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:30:27 +0000

APPropagandaLE

By: asqwerth

asqwerth — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:46:40 +0000

My question is, did the maker of this app have the right to copy and use the glowing red eye graphic, and the font (if it’s proprietary) and logo for DROID? I’m guessing Verizon owns the copyright in the said works.

I’m guessing that there was some copyright infringement by the maker. Even if the stated reason for rejection was not that, I think the rejection is fair.

I’m more curious to see what happens if a similar (or more useful?) app extolling DROID’s virtues BUT which does not infringe anyone’s copyright, is lodged with Apple.

By: Droid Ninja

Droid Ninja — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:39:52 +0000

Is there an app for the droid that does this? I want the glowing red eye on my screen

By: twrock

twrock — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 07:33:57 +0000

There’s no way the developers didn’t know it would be rejected the moment they conceived of it. So I don’t doubt they were just poking fun at Apple by sending it in.
On the other hand, as if anyone needed more proof, this shows once again that Apple will tell their customers exactly what they can and can not have. And if you are happy with that, great. But I will not be joining you in Apple’s walled garden, and I will avoid doing anything to help Apple succeed in gaining total control of any segment of the tech world. The only thing that “keeps them honest” at all is that at the moment there are good alternatives.
“…they are the gatekeepers. They are guarding all the doors, they are holding all the keys, which means that sooner or later, someone is going to have to fight them.”