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Apple bans extremely prolific iPhone developer

updated 10:50 am EDT, Wed August 5, 2009

Apple bans iPhone dev.


Apple has revoked the license of one of the most prolific App Store developers, reports say. Affected is Khalid Shaikh, the founder of Perfect Acumen, a company with 26 workers mostly based in Pakistan. Apple says it has received numerous complaints about Shaikh's products, and sent notices to him regarding over 100 titles. During a space of nine months the company has managed to publish some 943 iPhone apps, or approximately five apps per day.

At the heart of complaints are some questionable business practices. Even though every app produced by Perfect Acumen costs $5, most only aggregate content available online, under names such as "US Army News," "Skin Care Updates" or "WWE Updates." WWE Updates is said to be broken, also displaying news about Michael Jackson; another app, "Top Sexy Ladies: Audrina Patridge," merely collects five photos, likely in violation of copyright. Various forms of intellectual property infringement are listed as the official reasons for blocking Shaikh.

The company is also alleged by reports to have made it difficult to get in contact regarding technical support. Shaikh's website does not mention Perfect Acumen, and a single e-mail address generates auto-replies regarding a job in New Delhi, India.

A concern raised by commentators is that Apple initially accepted the apps, in theory passing them through quality control and examination for objectionable content. Many apps have been rejected for inconsistent or unexplained reasons.


by MacNN Staff

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iPod, iPhone, developer, App Store, Apple

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Comments

  1. c4rlob

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: May 2009

    +4
    08/05, 11:48am | report spam | (1 reply) Reply |

    list of apps?

    Can we get a list of their apps somewhere. To be on the safe side, I'd like to have the option of removing any apps I may have purchased from this developer.

  1. dliup

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jan 2006

    +4
    08/05, 12:00pm | report spam | Reply |

    re: List of Apps

    The list can be found on the page link: 943 iPhone apps. Might be under comments or the article on that page.

  1. JeffHarris

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Oct 1999

    +6
    08/05, 12:06pm | report spam | (1 reply) Reply |

    Clear the Dross

    One would think that Apple would check to see if there were copyright infringements BEFORE approving apps, instead of having a bunch of church ladies looking for dirty words and pictures.

    At times it seems more important that Apple be able to tout 65,000 apps rather than 20,000 great apps.

    I've looked a few of Khalid Shaikh's apps and they looked like c***. It's good to Apple is weeding the App garden.

  1. stainboy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2005

    +6
    08/05, 12:29pm | report spam | Reply |

    prolific iPhone Dev?

    how about "App Store-spamming douchebag". good riddance to him and his 900 crapplications.

  1. Eldernorm

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2007

    +5
    08/05, 01:12pm | report spam | (2 replies) Reply |

    More anti-Apple stuff

    I went to the review the blog site linked to above. Yep, same old stuff.

    Apple sucks cause the Apps store does not let every app thru.
    Apple sucks cause the Apps store lets every app thru.
    Apple sucks cause the Apps store reviews apps.
    Apple sucks cause the Apps store does not review apps.

    bla, bla bla. While I agree that Apple needs to improve its Apps store and iTunes, etc, They are doing great at the moment compared to just about everyone else.

    So, just a thought here,
    en

    PS, dont like Apple, dont buy Apple . sheeezzzzeeeee.

  1. testudo

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -4
    08/05, 01:35pm | report spam | Reply |

    Re: Clear the dross

    One would think that Apple would check to see if there were copyright infringements BEFORE approving apps, instead of having a bunch of church ladies looking for dirty words and pictures.

    First off, just because Apple claims 'copyright infringement' doesn't mean there actually was copyright infringement. Complaints from third-parties mean little, as that's what they use to throw stuff off of YouTube, regardless of the fair-useness.

    But Apple SHOULD be checking for such things, because, technically, they could get their asses sued if they allow it to get through. Being they insist on approving each and every application, they could be seen as giving tacit approval of copyright infringement by selling the application.

    And I'm sure Apple will take their 30% commissions they made on all those apps and pass them back to the copyright holders who were 'infringed' as a sort of restitution.

    At times it seems more important that Apple be able to tout 65,000 apps rather than 20,000 great apps.


    Apple's not the only one. A lot of people like to proclaim the brilliance and greatness of the store by quoting the number of apps.

    And there aren't 20000 great apps on the store. Far from it.

  1. chas_m

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Aug 2001

    -1
    08/05, 08:59pm | report spam | Reply |

    Don't see the problem

    According to the story, all of this guys crapplications cost $5. In other words, like three people bought them.

    Again according to the article, the majority of the apps were just "news aggregators" aimed at speciality markets, like "Skin Care News." Where's the problem here? You gonna ban RSS readers next?

    If Apple suspects that a submitted app may be violating copyright, they should hold approval until the dev can establish his right to use the material (or can't). Simple.

    Most apps in the App Store are wholly original, and whether you think they're "great" or not isn't relevant.

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