Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by pentacent_hq 21 days ago
The App Store listing is pretty clearly a scam and the app is clearly pretending to be my app when it isn't. It's also not some small obscure app, it is well-known enough that there there are Wikipedia articles in serveral languages about it.

So Apple should really be taking action on both counts, in my opinion.
2 comments
Someone 21 days ago
> the app is clearly pretending to be my app

OK.

> when it isn’t

Isn’t that what Apple must check and may be doing by “All they seem to have done so far is forward my complaint to the author of the scam listing” (depending on how they worded that)?

Also, all you formally complained about is a trademark infringement. Global trademark law is complex. Maybe somebody else managed to get a trademark with the same name, too? I guess that’s unlikely, but Apple can’t assume that.

link
PaulHoule 20 days ago
I wanna say the OP should file for a trademark. It's pretty easy to do (compared to a patent), but the $350 fee might look steep

https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/basics/how-much-does-it-cos...

If he did have a trademark he could go to Apple and say specifically "this is a case of trademark infringement" and probably not need a lawyer but he'd also have the basis for a civil lawsuit.

link
pentacent_hq 20 days ago
> Also, all you formally complained about is a trademark infringement

Which is precisely why I asked if there's a better way to report scam apps that I might have missed. But unfortunately it doesn't seem to be the case and you don't seem to have an answer either.

link
runjake 20 days ago
> The App Store listing is pretty clearly a scam and the app is clearly pretending to be my app

What leads you to make these allegations?

As far as I can tell, it is not pretending to be your app or claiming any affiliation. The app doesn't even do the same things your does. It's just named the same. It seems a pretty obvious app name.

They probably just came up with the name and didn't bother to Google for prior art. Do you have a trademark on the name? If so, that should squash it from the App Store. Otherwise, I think you're hosed.

That said, it's at best a pretty low quality app with atrocious in-app prices.

link
pentacent_hq 20 days ago
The scam app uses the same name and icon - so a coincidence seems rather unlikely.
link
runjake 20 days ago
Definitely. Good luck.
link