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Last week word that Amazon’s DRM policy for their soon-to-be-launched Appstore might be a bit strict had some worried, but today the retail giant has taken some time to clarify the copy protection measures in place for their Android app releases. First things first, developers must opt in to Amazon’s DRM protection upon uploading their applications to the Appstore. Apps won’t carry protection features that require they check with Amazon’s servers before launching without the developers consent.
Speaking of checking in with Amazon’s servers, even if an app chooses to use the Appstore’s DRM protection, it won’t require a handset have a constant data connection to work. The first time the app is launched it will query Amazon and download a token to the phone. The token allows the app to still be recognized as legitimate even when an internet connection is no where to be found.
These policies sound a lot more in line with the way Google currently handles copy protection in the Android Market, and should therefor already be familiar with developers. The Amazon Appstore is said to be launching later this month.
[via AndroidCentral]
Whatever, DRM is DRM. It’s a nonstarter in any form. I boycott paid apps that have the license check permission and I am a developer myself.
DdRM is never OK, in any form, ever.
“Whatever, DRM is DRM. It’s a nonstarter in any form. I boycott paid apps that have the license check permission and I am a developer myself.DdRM is never OK, in any form, ever.”
Well, the people who build apps need to get paid sometimes.
So I guess you don’t play any console games.
Curious what type of anti-virus/malware/piracy they will employ. Since everyone wants to have an app market these days maybe they ought to let us know about security and not just their DRM policies.
@TatiG “Well, the people who build apps need to get paid sometimes.”
But DRM doesn’t inconvenience those who would pirate an app, they will just download a version of the app with the DRM disabled, it’s paying customers who are impacted by DRM.
@acupunc
I think they will be manually approving the apps so that in theory the apps are higher quality and a lot less likely if at all likely to contain a virus or malware. The unfortunate part of that is that not everyone can list an app but that’s what Market does so it’s good to have options.
“Whatever, DRM is DRM. It’s a nonstarter in any form. I boycott paid apps that have the license check permission and I am a developer myself.”
Really.
Personally I’d prefer not to have to put it in. I’d even like to be able to *give away* my app to certain customers (for instance, kids that don’t have credit cards) but there is no facility for doing that.
In the mean time, I spend a lot of my own money writing and supporting the applications I write. It pisses me off when i find my app being sold by some asshat who thinks he/she has the right because “DdRM is never OK, in any form, ever”.
I’m fully against DRM that invades my privacy or the privacy of my customers, but I also deserve not to be ripped off. If you want to adjust human nature so that only those that are disadvantaged enough to need a handout of my app, ask for one, then I’ll be happy to turn my license checks off.
In the mean time, I don’t need your sale, so go ahead and make your statement, but if you ever run one of my apps that someone has cracked, even if I don’t know about it, then I have won this little argument and *you* will know it.
If you really want to make a difference, then give me a way that I can give my app away free to those people who deserve a free version and ask those who can and should pay for it, to pay for it.
Yah, I’m a Canadian… an “evil socialist”… can you tell from my comments?
The Amazon appstore was said to have only 3800 apps in store. This seems to be a small number, considering that you can find, using any files search engine like FindFile.net, http://www.findfiles.net , a few thousand free Android apps for downloading in the net.