I am interested that they didn't just say, "We own the trademark Facetime, GTFO." Maybe they just have an automated system that does this kind of thing? I assume you will change the name to something else and everything will be OK, right?
Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
21–30 of 69 posts
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#22This is a classic "pick your battles" or "know when to fold'em" moments I think. This is technically "press" for your app, so hopefully some real good will come out of it when you come back to tell us the new name.
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#23Well, to be fair, you were infringing on their trademark (or whoseever trademark it was previously).
That depends on what their app did. From what I can make out with Google cache, it was a timer app. The two trademarks Facetime Corp held (and which Apple has supposedly bought) orient around "computer software used for communicating over global computer networks using voice, text, fax, or e-mail." A timer app called Facetime doesn't on the face of it appear to violate either of these other Facetime trademarks but..…
They're both software. Its easily conceivable that a non-moron could search for one and mistake it for the other. This case seems like an actual violation whose enforcement would be much more reasonable than most other disputes that have made the news the last few years.
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#24User bcwood posted this in a neutral, matter of fact, way. Then I wonder why almost all the subsequent comments are so argumentative and biased. Chill, guys. Is being polite and cool not the thing to be on Internet?
HN comments are often argumentative. Commonly the top comment on a submission attacks an incidental error in it, ignoring the point of the submission. This may be partly due to startups being scrappy. Or maybe because it's on the internet. However on HN, at least it's usually done politely and civilly.
The other kind of useless (noise aot signal) comment is the meta-comment. Like yours (and now mine).
The recommended solution is to ignore what you don't like. By focusing on the good, the bad falls away - especially on a time-based "news" site like this one. Tomorrow, it will be gone. Good advice for startups (ignore your competition; get on with making something great). Life too.
Think of the interesting comments have left neglected and unloved because of the time you spent reading these annoying ones.
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#25User bcwood posted this in a neutral, matter of fact, way. Then I wonder why almost all the subsequent comments are so argumentative and biased. Chill, guys. Is being polite and cool not the thing to be on Internet?
HN comments are often argumentative. Commonly the top comment on a submission attacks an incidental error in it, ignoring the point of the submission. This may be partly due to startups being scrappy . Or maybe because it's on the internet. However on HN, at least it's usually done politely and civilly. The other kind of useless (noise aot signal) comment is the meta-comment. Like yours (and now mine). The recommende…
I have noticed it too. I think it's mostly just old fashioned karma whoring...
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#26Well, to be fair, you were infringing on their trademark (or whoseever trademark it was previously).
That depends on what their app did. From what I can make out with Google cache, it was a timer app. The two trademarks Facetime Corp held (and which Apple has supposedly bought) orient around "computer software used for communicating over global computer networks using voice, text, fax, or e-mail." A timer app called Facetime doesn't on the face of it appear to violate either of these other Facetime trademarks but..…
Whether they own the store or not has nothing to do with it. It's a straightforward legal claim. They have sent the same kinds of notices to app developers for other trademark owners. It's especially straightforward because they have published their own app with that name, so it's not just a matter of over-zealous trademark protection.
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#27Speaking of trademarks: Isn't 'iOS' owned by Cisco? Their Internet Operating System is running on their routers...
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#28And what do we learn from this? Make sure you trademark your application's name soon. I learned it the hard way too, BTW...
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#29Speaking of trademarks: Isn't 'iOS' owned by Cisco? Their Internet Operating System is running on their routers...
Yep, and Apple licensed the rights to the name.
http://blogs.cisco.com/news/comments/cisco_and_apple_agreeme...
Re: Last week Apple asked me to remove my app from the App Store. Now I know why.
#30The bottom line is that you must take care of the IP aspects of your online business. We tend to forget such things as registering your copyright, your trademarks and maybe some patent (if you came up with some groundbreaking stuff, such as the "buy now" button).
I married a lawyer, so she handles this for me. That's a potently dangerous strategy, so if your risk aversion is higher, you may try reading this book instead: Legal Guide to Web & Software Development http://www.amazon.com/Legal-Guide-Software-Development-CD-Ro...