Let's say you wrote a game. Someone could copy the assets, release their own game and claim infringement against you. You're saying Apple should pull your game until you can disprove infringement? That doesn't sound reasonable.
You may not like it, but that is the way the law is written. It is why so many people disagree with the way the DMCA works.
There are many documented cases of large companies using DMCA takedown requests to suppress material that they just don't like, with no valid legal claim on it.
No it isn't [0]. The way DMCA works is that someone files a claim, Apple pulls the app, the defending party files a counter-claim, Apple restores the app. Now it's between the two parties. It's not Apple's role to be the judge to which one must disprove infringement.
Has anyone ever actually been punished for false DMCA takedown notices? I know it hasn't happened in any of the false takedown notice cases I'm familiar with.
The only requirement is that the DMCA claiment swear, under penalty of perjury, that they are authorized to make the demand (they are the copyright holder or authorized agent). No other penalty / liability against the notice server is provided for in the statute.
Unless I'm misremembering, that was not a part of the original statute & was added later. The criticism I gave was fairly common immediately following passage of the DMCA.
(f) Misrepresentations.— Any person who knowingly materially misrepresents under this section—
IANAL, but those two words "knowingly" and "materially" are extremely huge caveats that should make it very easy to avoid any liability for carefully crafted false takedown notices.
There are many documented cases of large companies using DMCA takedown requests to suppress material that they just don't like, with no valid legal claim on it.