From browsing the App Store a couple weeks back, I noticed the company "June Software Private Limited". They had a few apps that looked pretty official looking, stuff that you would think wouldn't get by Apple Reviewers like Friends and Family Guy Trivia... but sure, maybe they do have the rights.
After watching them for a bit though, it seems they are taking advantage of the system a bit. They always seem to do these steps with every new trivia/quiz app:
1) Release a basic quiz app with no trademarks in the name and no images in the icon or the cover screen. (ie. PPTC Quiz, Sim sons Quiz, SMan Quiz, SBob SPants)
2) After the basic release, in either one or two updates, the names turn to official wording (Pirates of the Caribbean Quiz, The Simpsons Quiz, Spiderman Quiz...) and the icon and cover screen turn to actual imagery from the show/movie.
Not sure if they figured out that Apple only checks copyrights & trademarks on the first version?
Also soon after this, between 25 and 50 five star reviews appear within about 48 hours of each other. Maybe these are actual customers, again not completely sure. It happening basically every time seems to be another flag though. Maybe they are using a reviewing service though?
After these steps, the app is propelled in the top lists of Trivia. They currently have 20 apps in the top 100 Trivia, so they are probably making a nice amount of cash.
I don't usually like the "ratting out" mentality, but this one seems a bit overly devious. I haven't sent anything into Apple, but maybe if other people also see what I see, they may get outed. If people want to look into it, there is a lot of evidence in their current apps having old images still (ie, Batman Quiz). Checking out what shows on appshopper.com (which still has some old screens) versus the current apps on the App Store directly shows it also.
From browsing the App Store a couple weeks back, I noticed the company "June Software Private Limited". They had a few apps that looked pretty official looking, stuff that you would think wouldn't get by Apple Reviewers like Friends and Family Guy Trivia... but sure, maybe they do have the rights.
After watching them for a bit though, it seems they are taking advantage of the system a bit. They always seem to do these steps with every new trivia/quiz app:
1) Release a basic quiz app with no trademarks in the name and no images in the icon or the cover screen. (ie. PPTC Quiz, Sim sons Quiz, SMan Quiz, SBob SPants)
2) After the basic release, in either one or two updates, the names turn to official wording (Pirates of the Caribbean Quiz, The Simpsons Quiz, Spiderman Quiz...) and the icon and cover screen turn to actual imagery from the show/movie.
Not sure if they figured out that Apple only checks copyrights & trademarks on the first version?
Also soon after this, between 25 and 50 five star reviews appear within about 48 hours of each other. Maybe these are actual customers, again not completely sure. It happening basically every time seems to be another flag though. Maybe they are using a reviewing service though?
After these steps, the app is propelled in the top lists of Trivia. They currently have 20 apps in the top 100 Trivia, so they are probably making a nice amount of cash.
I don't usually like the "ratting out" mentality, but this one seems a bit overly devious. I haven't sent anything into Apple, but maybe if other people also see what I see, they may get outed. If people want to look into it, there is a lot of evidence in their current apps having old images still (ie, Batman Quiz). Checking out what shows on appshopper.com (which still has some old screens) versus the current apps on the App Store directly shows it also.
If you perform shady business practices or work as a scam artist... you can make a pretty good living for a short while at the beginning... but you will always end up broke, in jail, a pariah, worse... or all of the above. Karma is real and what goes around comes around. IF these guys are scammers then sooner than later the boat will spring a leak and they will sink faster than they can bail... IF NOT then more power to them and best wishes in all their ventures.
I subscribe to minding your own business in not ratting out others shady business affairs. Keep your own nose clean and leave cleaning up the riff raff to those who actually get paid to do it... or worse yet don't have anything better to do themselves. If you do things the right way and work hard you will end up winning in the end without having to stress out over cheaters... how many scammers are billionaires and likewise how many so-called "NARCs" are either... not many. But hardworking, intelligent people who mind their own business have the best shot of making it big in this life, so keep your nose to the grindstone and let God, Allah, Satan or whoever those folks pray to (and the authorities) worry about them.
Maybe to you it's a scam, to them it's a business. For some Bill Gates is a scammer, for others - a respectable businessman.
Apple is not some sort of public organization or government agency or something. It's a business, so other business is taking advantage of this business. Businesses do that all the time.
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Umm... If you are using a copyrighted name/logo/image without the copyright holders consent, then you are definitely scamming.
Then it's a copyright owner's concern... - they have plenty of choices to complain/sue and have their property protected.
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If you think someone's violating someone's copyright, probably it's a better idea to inform the copyright holder than Apple. Ask them if they know about the iPhone app, and suggest that if they don't have an official version, they commission you to do it!
Maybe to you it's a scam, to them it's a business. For some Bill Gates is a scammer, for others - a respectable businessman.
Apple is not some sort of public organization or government agency or something. It's a business, so other business is taking advantage of this business. Businesses do that all the time.
well said
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The day they release an app it has 50 5-star reviews on the store. (Are they just using their 50 promo codes with 50 dummy accounts???)
2. How the heck do they get their apps into the top 100 of games -- trivia the day an app releases???
I make trivia apps too...they have some sort of unfair advantage...just not sure how they are doing it...
I think they have some script with dummy accounts and it seems promo codes count for rankings. I saw the Fullmetal Alchemist app get exactly 50 reviews in one day, shot it to the top 100, dropped off. The 1.1 update came with actual art from the show, 50 more reviews appeared, back in the top 100.
Same with the app "Cheatbox" in Reference. One day 50 reviews appear and it's in the top 100... must of been a crappy seller after that as it dropped like 90 spots to 146 the next day.
Taking Advantage of Apple's Reviewers?
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