Title: Reason Behind Pulse App Debacle Surfaces Post by: HCK on June 08, 2010, 11:00:10 pm Reason Behind Pulse App Debacle Surfaces
The Pulse application was recently applauded at WWDC for changing the way RSS readers work on the iPad, but now it's been pulled from sale on the App Store. You can see a demo of the RSS reader application in the video above.So why was this application pulled? Well, according to The New York Times via All Things D, the Pulse application infringes upon copyrights it holds.The pulse application was developed by two Stanford grads, Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta.9to5 Mac got hold of the email sent to the developer from the App Store team to the developer, and the email sent to Apple from the NYT. Below is the email, in its entirety:Dear Sir or Madam,**Please include APPXXXX in the subject line of any future correspondence on this matter.**We received a written notice from The New York Times Company that The New York Times Company believes your application named “Pulse News Reader†infringes The New York Times Company’s rights. A copy of the notice is attached.
Accordingly, we have pulled your application from the App Store. Please contact The New York Times Company directly regarding any questions or concerns you may have.
For any technical questions, please contact iTunes Connect:www.apple.com/itunes/go/itunesconnect/contactus.
Thank you for your immediate attention.Sincerely, iTunes Music Marketing & IP Legal | Apple | 1 Infinite Loop | Cupertino | CA | 95014 | AppStoreNotices@apple.com and...Begin forwarded message:From: “Samson, Richard Sâ€Date: June 3, 2010 10:51:23 AM PDTTo:â€â€˜appstorenotices@apple.com’â€Cc: “Samuels, Robertâ€, “Manning, Michaelâ€Subject: infringing “Pulse News Reader†iPad appHello-

I am writing again, on behalf of The Boston Globe, Boston.com and The New York Times Company, about the infringing iPad app, “Pulse News Reader†produced by Alphonso Labs Inc. (please see pertinent details, link and screenshots below).
The infringing app is available on the iTunes store here:http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pulse-news-reader/id371088673?mt=8
The Pulse News Reader app, makes commercial use of the NYTimes.com and Boston.com RSS feeds, in violation of their Terms of Use*. Thus, the use of our content is unlicensed. The app also frames the NYTimes.com and Boston.com websites in violation of their respective Terms of Use.
I note that the app is delivered with the NYTimes.com RSS feed preloaded, which is prominently featured in the screen shots used to sell the app on iTunes.
I hereby declare, under penalty of perjury, that the information contained in this notification is accurate to the best of our knowledge and that I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyrights and trademarks of The Boston Globe, Boston.com and The New York Times Company. We hereby demand that you immediately and permanently remove this app from the iTunes site.
Please let me know if you need any further information or have any questions. I can be reached directly at this Email or at the phone number below.Thank you.Sincerely,Richard Samson http://www.maclife.com/article/news/reason_behind_pulse_app_debacle_surfaces |