Some company is selling
software through Apple's App Store which uses portions of code that I released publicly under
the GPL.
The company is violating
the licensing terms in two ways, by (1) not preserving my copyright statement, and not releasing their code under
the GPL license and (2) by distributing my GPL-licensed code through Apple's App Store. (The Free
Software Foundation has made clear that
the terms of
the GPL and those of
the App Store are incompatible.) I want to report this to Apple, and ask that they take appropriate action. I have tried mailing them to ask for more information about
the reporting process, and have received
the automated reply quoted below.
The last point in
the list of things one needs to provide,
the “a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury,” sounds as if they mean some kind of specific legal document. I'm not sure. Does this mean I need to contact a lawyer just to file
the report? I'd like to avoid going through that hassle if at all possible.
(Besides an answer to this specific question, I'd welcome comments and experience reports from anyone who has already had to deal with a GPL violation on Apple's App Store.)
Thank you for contacting Apple's Copyright Agent. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes infringement on Apple’s Web site, please provide
the following information:
an electronic or physical signature of
the person authorized to act on behalf of
the owner of
the copyright interest;
a description of
the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
a description of where
the material that you claim is infringing is located on
the site; your address, telephone number, and email address;
a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that
the disputed use is not authorized by
the copyright owner, its agent, or
the law;
a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that
the above information in your Notice is accurate and that you are
the copyright owner or authorized to act on
the copyright owner’s behalf.
For further information, please review Apple's Legal Information & Notices/Claims of Copyright Infringement at: http://www.apple.com/legal/trademark/claimsofcopyright.html
To expedite
the processing of your claim regarding any alleged intellectual property issues related to iTunes (music/music videos, podcasts, TV, Movies), please send a copy of your notice to
[email protected] For claims concerning a
software application, please send a copy of your notice to
[email protected].
Due to
the high volume of e-mails we receive, this may be
the only reply you receive from
[email protected]. Please be assured, however, that Apple's Copyright Agent and/or
the iTunes Legal Team will promptly investigate and take appropriate action concerning your report.
