Latest Misguided Lawsuit: Apple Hit With Copyright Infringement Claim For Third Party App

from the learn-to-sue-properly dept

I'm really beginning to wonder if there should be sanctions on plaintiffs who sue the obviously wrong party. We write about so many cases, where people sue whoever has the deepest pockets, rather than those actually responsible, that it's clearly an abuse of the law. The latest example, sent in by davebarnes, involves a photographer suing Apple, because an iPhone app from a third party developer includes some of his photos. Note that the guy did not sue the actual app developer: just Apple. I'd also like to see the argument that explains how getting this guy's photographs more publicity somehow "damages" him, but that's another story...
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: copyright, iphone, liability, photographs
Companies: apple


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 22 Aug 2009 @ 8:32am

    Apple’s Own Fault

    I think this case is directly down to the way Apple micromanages the products in its App Store. Instead of acting like a hands-off “common carrier”, it takes direct responsibility for vetting all the apps. That responsibility makes it a target for lawsuits like this.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Cavanaugh, 22 Aug 2009 @ 9:01am

    Suing the wrong party

    This is actually a problem with the breakdown of interpleader.
    If someone sues the wrong party, we need a system that will let them simply fill out a form interpleading the correct party and excusing themselves. The problem is that they need an attorney, and it isn't simple - it is supposed to be, but isn't - shouldn't even require an attorney.
    One can only assume the attorneys have too much influence with the judges.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    ChadBroChill (profile), 22 Aug 2009 @ 8:51pm

    Haxor Fail

    Lol the URL they give is a 404 Not found. Nübs.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Meseret Hailu, 1 Sep 2009 @ 4:38pm

    Lol the URL

    We need a system that will let someone interplead the correct party when appropriate. Let's fix the system. Word.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Meseret Hailu, 1 Sep 2016 @ 8:49pm

    Lol the URL

    Folks, I'm just checking in on the 7th anniversary of my comment. Unfortunates - the system is still not fixed. I'll check back in 7. Peace!

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.