[android-developers] IP infringements on the Market

Hi folks,

I thought I would ask other developers for their opinions on the large
number of apps on the market which seem to infringe on third-party
intellectual property.

I have apps in the free Casual Game category, and a quick count
reveals that out of the 200 top apps, at least 30 very likely infringe
on third-party copyrights and/or trademarks. I believe similar numbers
apply to other categories.

This of course may place the developers of these apps at risk of
lawsuits, and is also a breach of the Market terms and conditions.

My worry, however, is that these apps constitute unfair competition:
they use "stolen" intellectual property to promote themselves, thus
out-ranking competing apps which play fair. For example, I would love
to use Disney material in one of my games. I asked Disney and did not
obtain a permission, hence I am not using their material. Yet my game
has to compete against other games which do use Disney material,
almost certainly without permission.

Maybe these are just the rantings of a slightly bitter developer of
not-massively-successful apps. But maybe my concerns also ring a bell
for other developers. What do you think? Should infringing apps just
be accepted, or is there something we as a community can do to deal
with the problem? It would also be good to hear the thoughts of
developers of infringing apps.

Best,
Michael.

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