June 16, 2012 at 15:42Speak for Yourself removed from iTunes
Three months ago, a story was published on Habré that Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and Semantic Compaction Systems (SCS) corporations - manufacturers of hardware devices in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) worth up to $ 9,000 - filed a lawsuit against Speak program developers for Yourself for $ 300, which implements the same features on the iPad.
AAC programs allow you to learn a language and talk, choosing the right icons on the screen. The market for such devices is clearly divided between large corporations that have thick patent packages.
The story was made public by the words of the mother of the girl Maya, for whom the Speak for Yourself program was the only way to communicate with the outside world. A few days ago, my mother bitterly reported that after legal correspondence, Apple decided to remove Speak for Yourself from the iTunes catalog , despite the absence of a court order, but only on the basis of a complaint from PRC and SCS.
After receiving a complaint from PRC and SCS, Apple sent a letter to Speak for Yourself developers requesting a response to the complaint. The company’s lawyer drew up a detailed response, in which he pointed out the groundlessness of the requirements of PRC and SCS. For several months, nothing happened, and on June 4, the program simply disappeared from iTunes.
After disappearing from the iTunes catalog, Speak for Yourself developers lost the ability to release updates for the program. Thus, in the case of updating the iOS operating system, the program may stop working.
The girls' mother is worried that corporations will require Apple to remotely remove the program from all the devices where it was installed. Apple has such an opportunity, and it will certainly take advantage of it if it receives a request. One can only hope for the humanity of corporations that proclaim assistance to children as the main goal of their activities. Naturally, in any case, it is better to disconnect the iPad from the Internet. The woman has already made a backup .
Case documents:
PRC and SCS lawsuit v. Speak for Yourself
Speak for Yourself Response to Initial Claim
Speak for Yourself and Apple Copy of Speak
Official Speak for Yourself Statement
AAC programs allow you to learn a language and talk, choosing the right icons on the screen. The market for such devices is clearly divided between large corporations that have thick patent packages.
The story was made public by the words of the mother of the girl Maya, for whom the Speak for Yourself program was the only way to communicate with the outside world. A few days ago, my mother bitterly reported that after legal correspondence, Apple decided to remove Speak for Yourself from the iTunes catalog , despite the absence of a court order, but only on the basis of a complaint from PRC and SCS.
After receiving a complaint from PRC and SCS, Apple sent a letter to Speak for Yourself developers requesting a response to the complaint. The company’s lawyer drew up a detailed response, in which he pointed out the groundlessness of the requirements of PRC and SCS. For several months, nothing happened, and on June 4, the program simply disappeared from iTunes.
After disappearing from the iTunes catalog, Speak for Yourself developers lost the ability to release updates for the program. Thus, in the case of updating the iOS operating system, the program may stop working.
The girls' mother is worried that corporations will require Apple to remotely remove the program from all the devices where it was installed. Apple has such an opportunity, and it will certainly take advantage of it if it receives a request. One can only hope for the humanity of corporations that proclaim assistance to children as the main goal of their activities. Naturally, in any case, it is better to disconnect the iPad from the Internet. The woman has already made a backup .
Case documents:
PRC and SCS lawsuit v. Speak for Yourself
Speak for Yourself Response to Initial Claim
Speak for Yourself and Apple Copy of Speak
Official Speak for Yourself Statement