Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by staticman2 1966 days ago
If the infringing App is in a foreign country the scenario is much more complicated than you are suggesting.
4 comments

It is, but the US and the EU legally recognize each other's copyrights. So he can sue the Chinese company in his country, and when they don't show up send Apple a notice to freeze assets related to the company, which just needs a US lawyer. In the end the lawyers win, but it is a straight forward case (assuming all the facts are as given...)
Yes, you likely could threaten Apple with a lawyer. But based on your comment you likely have never dealt with a lawsuit, especially involving several jurisdictions. And trust me, the lawyer want the same thing as the scammer. Your money!
"I have never been ruined but twice in my life — once when I lost a lawsuit, and once when I won one."—Voltaire
And how long does that legal process take compared to the time it takes for the spammer to set up a new legal entity, app, and App Store account?
Can't he get it out of the App Store in his jurisdiction (EU + US with reciprocal agreements).

I guess the Chinese copycat will still be sold in China and other non-compliant markets for IP law but that would ba a partial victory.

Maybe it is better to sue Apple instead, for allowing such apps - they claim they have "strict guidelines" and review all apps before accepting them .... If many developers around the world start doing this, it becomes a PR issue and costs them money too in legal fees ... may even force them to fix the issue.
The Northrups did a video on this for a photo that was clearly stolen from them:

https://youtu.be/DUEbi4r8Pg0