Representative claims Apple trademark

A recent game update is claimed to have been denied due to similarities with Apple's chat interface.

A recent update for an iPhone game has been rejected for purely cosmetic reasons, according to the title's developer. Joe Stump observes that although he was merely submitting bug corrections for Chess Wars, he was called on Tuesday by an Apple representative, who said that after a six-week wait his update was being rejected for having "shiny" chat bubbles. That look is trademarked by Apple, the representative is said to have claimed.

In order to address the problem, Stump says he was asked to make the bubbles "less shiny," and to render them square as an extra precaution. Apple does use similar bubbles in its native SMS app, but the trademark concerns are new, and believed to be inconsistent in light of other programs. Third-party apps such as Facebook and Tweetie are noted to use shiny bubbles, a distinguishing factor being the inclusion of an avatar image; the representative is nevertheless said to have stated that the bubbles themselves the core issue.

Also unusual is personal contact from an Apple worker, as the company typically limits developer exchanges to e-mail, and does not offer specific advice on getting an app approved. It has however said it wants to improve the App Store's submission process. Numerous apps have been rejected over unclear criteria.

by MacNN Staff