Junk apps have been on the rise in the App Store, with some developers hoping to cash in on popular searches by offering “cheat” apps that ostensibly help you conquer the game you’re really searching for. I noticed this myself recently when I went looking for Words with Friends. Developer Marco Arment dug a little bit deeper and believes these apps may be crossing into some legal gray areas. the good news, however, is that there’s something that both developers and users can do about it.
Arment pointed out that many of these apps use icons, application names, and in some cases, other artwork that could constitute copyright or trademark violations. we found dozens of apps that use icons and logos for iPhone games like Words with Friends, Angry Birds, we Rule, and The Sims, as well as apps that purport to offer cheats for console games like Super Mario Bros Wii, Mario Kart, Grand Theft Auto IV, and Modern Warfare 2.
Some of these apps seem to fall on the wrong side of the fair use fine line. For instance, one of InTekOne’s apps is a “Sonic the Hedgehog GamePlay SoundBoard.” the icon and app artwork is clearly copyrighted, and the sounds appear to be recordings of various Sonic the Hedgehog game sounds and music, also copyrighted. InTekOne puts this helpful disclaimer hidden in the “more” text description: “All copyrights and trademarks are property of the respected owners. This is not a game.” Of course, offering a disclaimer for someone else’s copyrights doesn’t absolve anyone of infringement.
Arment also lamented that these apps were using “keyword spam” to show up in search results. such apps will include the name of competing apps as search keywords, so a search for “tweetie” will turn up not only Tweetie 2, but also HootSuite, Emoji Icons, and Textie Messaging. This practice is somewhat annoying, but a recent decision by an EU court regarding Google AdWords suggests the practice itself isn’t necessarily a trademark violation. a similar case is currently winding its way through US courts.
Still, there are a few things ways of dealing with this obnoxious problem. the easiest thing to do is vote with your dollars and not buy these apps. from what we’ve seen, they aren’t worth even the 99¢ that most of them cost. Chances are if an app has a one- or two-star rating, there’s a good reason for it.
Developers who believe these apps infringe on their copyrights or trademarks can report the apps directly from iTunes Connect. “As an IP holder ourselves, we understand the importance to developers of protecting their IP,” Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told Ars. “When we’re notified, we may remove the infringing app until a resolution is reached between the parties.”
Users who believe the apps are misleading can also lodge a complaint with Apple. Muller told Ars that sending an e-mail to appstorenotices@apple.com will alert the App Store review staff, and they will investigate any complaints. there is also precedent to suggest Apple may also revoke a developer’s ability to sell apps via the App Store if the developer is flooding it with “junk apps” in violation of Apple’s iPhone Developer Program Agreement.
Developers and users lodging complaints won’t guarantee that all such apps will disappear overnight. if there is a large volume of complaints, though, Apple may change its review process to spot potential problems in the future.
I know that nintendo can do this with one of their channels, but I was wondering if anyone had made something like this with a homebrew app or channel. To be a bit more specific, I want to find a homebrew app that lets me transfer the ds game from the wii to my ds.
Hmm…three words: Resident Evil 4. It has zombies. Enough said :]
I guess then I’d recommend some more ‘child friendly’ games. Joy. 
