Apple Settles 'FlickType' Developer Lawsuit Over App Store Treatment

[TracesOfArsenic]

Regardless of the quality of the app in question, the circumstances are sinister at best, with Apple's sherlocking history. I'm glad he ended up 'winning' but disappointed it won't add to a bigger case against permanently bringing attention to curb Apple's shady business practices and anti-competitive behaviour.

 

[svish]

Happy to see the lawsuit coming to an end and the developer compensated.

 

[MJaP]

We'll see. I have a hard time imagining a settlement agreement proposed by Apple lawyers that does not include a public defamation clause.

Indeed. Apple's legal team are not stupid and they are well practiced. As someone who has experience of working for an external company that had dealings with Apple, their "requirements" are VERY strict... packed full of NDAs, you can't talk about X, Y, Z to persons A, B, C even though they're working on the same project but it's a slightly different area of that project, you have to use these codewords instead of these listed words in any communications etc.

 

[Sarkany]

First app my girlfriend downloaded to her older Apple Watch. It's a shame he settled.

 

[jafd]

I'm disappointed that this ended in a settlement which presumably includes terms that he(?) stop publicly criticizing Apple. I had hoped he was being a bit more altruistic but it seems the money eventually worked.

And I don't say that cynically. The App store has real problems that this person seems to have taken on as a crusade to point out, and opinions were already mixed as to motives. I want to see real improvement to the App Store Apple has been so publicly proud of in court lately, and it's sad to see another voice presumably silenced.

I don't know the intricacies of the legal system in the US, but each and every settlement I came across included a clause in which the plaintiff has to shut up.

The alternative would probably be "well of course you can take it to the court, and we may even lose in time, but our war chest is infinitely bigger than yours, and our lawyers on retainer will bleed you into bankruptcy while protracting the case over the years. And here's our best offer. Take it or leave it."

I could probably haggle at the price and duration of my silence.

I would argue it's the court system in the US that needs to change. Right now it serves lawyers first, then corporations with the deepest pockets (and maybe skewing towards their legal departments too). Well, you should have easy time guessing how much incentive there is for changing that, given who gets to write the laws and successfully lobby for them.

 

[Chester Stone]

I don't know the intricacies of the legal system in the US, but each and every settlement I came across included a clause in which the plaintiff has to shut up.

The alternative would probably be "well of course you can take it to the court, and we may even lose in time, but our war chest is infinitely bigger than yours, and our lawyers on retainer will bleed you into bankruptcy while protracting the case over the years. And here's our best offer. Take it or leave it."

I could probably haggle at the price and duration of my silence.

I would argue it's the court system in the US that needs to change. Right now it serves lawyers first, then corporations with the deepest pockets (and maybe skewing towards their legal departments too). Well, you should have easy time guessing how much incentive there is for changing that, given who gets to write the laws and successfully lobby for them.

The court system does need to change. The amount of time that a party could drag out proceedings puts a huge damper on pursuing the truth, and the rightful result. After so many years, the amount of time, mental energy, and money poured in just doesn't justify the righteousness.

Lawyers also cost too much. Individuals and small businesses just don't have that level of money to compete. Big corporations with the largest war chest and legal team have too much of an advantage, and can just buy victories and settlements out of pure attrition.

Not advocating that lawyers be free or work for less --- just that there be some shorter cap on both time and personal spend, so that "bleeding you into bankruptcy" is a less viable strategy. Maybe after XXX amount of money, the court/legal system has to pay for the legal team, or there can't be this endless sequence of appeals.

 

[jafd]

Not advocating that lawyers be free or work for less --- just that there be some shorter cap on both time and personal spend, so that "bleeding you into bankruptcy" is a less viable strategy. Maybe after XXX amount of money, the court/legal system has to pay for the legal team, or there can't be this endless sequence of appeals.

In the EU, whoever loses a lawsuit has also to pay all legal expenses incurred by both sides. This usually makes any plaintiff with a frivolous case or even a rich defendant who has no winning case think real hard before engaging.

 

[Smith288]

I love apple products but this dude isnt a clown. Maybe he makes crappy apps... maybe better ones came along but he's absolutely correct about the app store. Once youre stuck in AppStore approval hell, you will be stuck. I made an app and after mine became moderately successful, hundreds of copies were made. No recourse.

 

[needsomecoffee]

Been through the discovery process... It's a biahtch. So many emails... The opposing lawyers get to review them all (now with AI to read every single one)... Had hoped this one would go to trial, but Apple decided better to not buy back some shares this quarter and apply their mountain of cash for some other non-R&D/productDev purpose.