Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last month, chances are you’ve heard of Lodsys. The patent licensing company has been sendingletters to iOS developersthreatening legal action. They believe that in-app purchasing infringes on a patent of theirs, and they want to get paid.
After weeks of silence,Apple finally decided to speak upon the matter. While they publicly defended their developer’s rights, they have not given any indication that they would help with legal fees, should Lodsys’ threats ever materialize…
It’s human nature that when you are cold, you want to huddle up next to others to get warm. It has something to do with body heat. Anyways, apparently developers are using that method of thinking in response to the ridiculous Lodsys patent complaints.
Victor Agreda, Jr., Editor in Chief ofTuaw, has received word that software companiesVillainandIconfactoryare banding together. They believe that by combining resources, developers have a better chance if Lodsys proceeds with the lawsuit.
“Villain received an infringement notice and we disagree with it. We’re asking all iOS developers who received similar notices from Lodsys to get in touch with me to discuss pooling resources in the event of a lawsuit. Any interested developers can e-mail me at dane@villainhq.com”
Like Agreda states in the article, there hasn’t been any legal action from Lodsys just yet. While many have speculated that the cease and desist letter from Apple means there won’t be a lawsuit, common sense says Lodsys had to figure on the Cupertino company responding.
Regardless, it’s awesome to see developers taking a stand against the “patent trolls.”It’ll be interesting to see if Lodsys responds, and if they do engage in legal action, what Apple’s next move is going to be.
Do developers need to band together? Or will it never come to that?
