Apple’s iOS devices were the devices that kick started the online app store revolution and today, although there are many others such as the Android app store, Apple’s version still remains the most popular. The great thing about Apple’s app store is that almost anyone is able to develop an app and then submit it to Apple for inclusion. This allows people to make money from the purchase of their apps as well as In-app purchasing. Now, it has been said however that there have been a number of app developers that have received patent infringement threats for their In-app purchase system that is provided by Apple.
There has been talk of at least four developers of Applications that have In-app purchasing that have received these threats. According to the developers, the threats are basically claiming the rights to the in-app purchasing system that is used within the applications although they are targeting the app developers rather than Apple themselves. The patent that covers the in-app purchasing system was developed by a man named Dan Abelow and has been licensed to more than 200 companies including Apple. Neither Apple nor Dan have commented on the issue at this time.
Some of the app developers that have received the legal threats have said that they have been in contact with Apple’s legal department about the issue although the contract between developers and Apple absolves Apple of any liability of the developer gets sued.