Apple take down notice targets Android theme app in Google Play Store

Android customization app Themer last week was pulled from the Google Play Store following a complaint from Apple. It’s been a week since the take down notice and the app has not returned to the Android app store. According to TechCrunch, the complaint focuses on one of Themer’s 200 themes, which allegedly included icons that infringe on Apple’s patents. Themer is a theme customization app that lets Android users install a new homescreen theme with the press of a button. The high-quality themes are pulled from the MyColorScreen website, which encourages users to share their individual creations. The theme, Seven, targeted by Apple was identified and pulled from Themer, but the app has not been reinstated by Google. After hitting 1 million downloads in less than four months a few weeks ago, Themer was suspended from the Play store on the night of February 2nd due to a copyright concern regarding our “Seven” theme (which is just one of over 200 themes available in Themer). Apple Inc. claimed that several icons used in Seven infringed their copyrights. We immediately removed this theme and thought that, at worst, Themer would be back on Play in a few days. But now a week later, we’re facing the possibility that a few days might turn into a few weeks. We’ve spoken to legal representatives from Apple (who have been very nice, reasonable, and helpful), and they have no remaining concerns. But apparently, Google has a process for these things, and there’s nothing we can do to accelerate that process. Unfortunately, we still have not heard from anyone at Google. Themer is asking its customers to be patient as it does not know when its app will return to the Google Play Store. The company is releasing new themes and offering support through its support website, support.themerapp.com, in the interim. This isn’t the first time Apple has removed an app from an app store. This past week, the company removed popular Bitcoin buying and trasferring app, Coinbase, In almost all cases, though, the removal is focused on its own iOS App Store and not a competitor like the Google Play Store. Do you agree with Apple’s decision or should the company have left Themer alone? Continue reading →

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