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Apple's Autoscanning iTunes Card Promo Codes Work via Hidden Font, Can be Replicated by Devs
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You can also figure out how to call Apple's restricted APIs, but it's a violation. There have been plenty of apps that made it into the App Store only to be removed because they weren't using the public APIs.
My guess is that Apple will claim that the existing developer license precludes using this method and as soon as an app on the App Store implements it, it will be pulled.
My guess is that Apple will claim that the existing developer license precludes using this method and as soon as an app on the App Store implements it, it will be pulled.
Feels like someone invested a lot of time into something with a very small benefit.
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You cannot copyright a font typeface (the look of the font) in the US. They cannot prevent you from printing the font on paper. Copyright only covers the font program, the exact mathematical equations to reproduce the Bezier curves. In other words, you cannot distribute the font file with your own software. However, you can print it, photograph it, and distribute the JPEGs. On the other hand, the Apple promo codes themselves may be protected. For example, if it uses some type of a cryptographic security, then it's protected by the DMCA. Also, as a developer, if you violate the license agreement, you may lose your development rights. But you cannot go to jail for printing Apple's font and taking a picture of it.
I see your point and Apple clearly could take measures against the devs behind Mail Designer Pro for infringing (though it's not patented I guess), but it should be noted that this happens outside any app. I just typed the code from an iTunes gift card into the Photoshop template provide and scanned with the App Store Redeem section. Worked!
Redeem codes for IAPs and promotions would therefore be printed out IRL and scanned using the App Store App, without changing anything in your app's code.
EDIT: I actually re-read your statement and that's basically what you're saying. It would interesting though to print out such cards for a competitor's app (with fake codes) and get Apple to shut them down!
IANAL, but the font (the program that generates the typeface) would be protected by copyright but not the typeface. So you could duplicate the typeface (what you see) but not thee software that created the typeface.
… until Apple changes it with an update. Then all the cards printed up are invalid. A hack is subject to break.
You made the comment I was about to make. For a Dev, using Apple's undocumented unauthorized type trick in any kind of product entails some real work. Then you release your product and get 50k copies in the wild (we all wish), and Apple happens to modify their font for some unrelated reason, breaking all 50k copies of your app.
Uh...you've just described most hacking. I take it then, you place little value on problem-solving or learning something you didn't already know. Good thing there are still inquisitive people or we'd all still be scribbling on cave walls.
The best post in this thread. If it's from Apple and it ain't documented, you're not allowed to use it. Period.
A pretty bad and useless fraud protection device, given the fact that any crook can grab this font from any installation of iTunes on any PC or Mac. And the fact that people can always type in the number if it doesn't scan.
It's only people who want to legally use this font that might run into legal issues, and even then it is going to be for something like using the font file (which is subject to copyright protection) without a license, not for committing fraud.
If you're trying to generate your own codes, then it's fraud and theft, plain and simple.
If you're trying to print your own legitimate codes so they can be scanned (e.g. purchase an iTunes gift card on-line and print it such that the person you give it to can scan it), then that's not an issue. The DMCA wouldn't come into play unless you tried to decrypt them (assuming they consist of encrypted content - it's far more likely that they are just keys into a database on Apple's server, along with some error-correcting code to detect typos and mis-scans.
For iOS apps or stuff you want to distribute through the Mac app store. If this doesn't matter (distributing through some other means, app for Windows or Linux etc.) then you can use all the undocumented APis you want. Apple tried to sue over this a long long time ago and they lost.
Of course, if you use undocumented APIs, then you run the risk of them changing without notice in the future...
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Good point, wouldn't have taken long to just reverse-assemble a font set from the characters on a bunch of used iTunes cards, it's only 26 letters and 10 numbers that you care about. Albeit they would be rasters, but it would have worked for everything the company is suggesting.
Probably.....
Now that we all know, Apple could change it...... "You need to update iTunes to use his code" Its also worth hinting that next time Apple should start using obscure names as well.
Even a vector font wouldn't be that big a deal. We're only talking about 36 symbols. How hard could it be to scan these at a high resolution and then use a lasso tool of some kind to trace the outlines?