Apple pulls Tetris clone

Apple's legal machine has turned its sights on an independent developer, a college student responsible for an iPhone Tetris clone called Tris, who is conceding to the company's removal of the game from the App Store. Developer Noah Witherspoon says that Apple contacted him on behalf of The Tetris Company, who complained of trademark and copyright violations. While Witherspoon believes he could overcome the issue in the court system, but as a student, he lacks the proper resources to do so.

Witherspoon feels that The Tetris Company is within their rights to protect their intellectual property, "the approach they're taking seems to me little more than petty bullying." He estimates that the only reason they have a leg to stand on is because of Witherspoon's student status.

"To clarify: if Apple had not told me they'd "take action" of their own if I didn't resolve the “dispute”, Tris would be staying up," Witherspoon summarizes. "I don't think this will be permanent; when I have the time and can find a good copyright lawyer, I'll be figuring out exactly what my position is and how I can make Tris available again."

Witherspoon will be pulling Tris from the App Store on Wednesday.

The situation resembles a recent dispute over another application, NetShare, which was pulled due to conflicts with some wireless providers. The app allowed users to tether their iPhone to a computer for mobile internet service, which prompted complaints from carriers such as AT&T, who charge as much as $30 per month for a similar service.

by MacNN Staff