 It looks like we have lost an oldie in the Android market. As a G1 user during the infancy of the platform, there were few apps that stood out and evoked that “Oh Wow” feeling. Being a geek and someone who watched Star Trek The Next Generation from day one, the Tricorder app from Moonblink was one of those “Oh Wow” apps. Best of all it was actually functional for the most part, providing real information, even if it wasn’t in the most friendly user interface in real life.
I am NOT a fan of Copyright and IP. Please don’t get me wrong they have their place, but the current system has been manipulated and twisted into a monster so out of control that its broken the very aspects its meant to protect. This poor little app is just a small example of this.
Moonblink software recently received the following letter from CBS’s legal department, informing them of a DMCA take down for alleged infringement.
“Â Hello,
Google has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that your application(s) allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. The details of the application(s) in question may be found at the end of this message. Please note that we have attached a copy of the original notice we received for your reference.
The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing the materials that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Google requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.
Google can reinstate these materials into Android Market upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and (3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification, and a link to a sample counter notification, seehttp://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py?contact_type=lr_counternotice&product=androidmarket
Also, please note that notices concerning content in your app may result in action taken against any associated AdSense or AdMob accounts and repeated violations may result in a suspension of your Android Market Publisher account.
If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.
The affected application is listed below:
Tricorder”
This app has been a fairly well-known mainstay of the Android maket for some time, so why put up a DMCA claim now?
I think the answer can be found here.
Moonblink’s response to this says just about everything that needs to be said.
Sorry Tricorder fans, Tricorder has been deleted from the Android Market by Google, at the demand of CBS’s legal weasels. This all happened without any discussion or warning — I was simply notified after the fact.
Since I don’t have legal weasels of my own, or the time to deal with this, that’s it for Tricorder.
Via Moonblink
