We removed the malicious applications from Android Market, suspended the associated developer accounts, and contacted law enforcement about the attack.
via An Update on Android Market Security – Official Google Mobile Blog.
It’s great to see that Google is quick to call law enforcement to prosecute those who took advantage of its open(!) market. Now I wonder what Google will do about policing copyright infringement on the same market .
In September I wrote a note about how some of the top applications in the Market seemed to be infringing on copyrights (and attempting to hide the fact). Today I went back and searched for “Disney”. I was offered about 350 apps and I am pretty sure that none one of them is endorsed by Disney.[1]
While there is a vast amount of copyright infringement on YouTube, Google is actively working with video content publishers to either compensate them or to take unlicensed content out. This after extensive legal maneuvering.
I’m not sure how policing or licensing deals will be struck for content on the Android Market. Apps are content, but of a different sort. It’s not so easy to scan for infringements. It’s not easy to draw up a compensation contract. The revenue model is ad-based (by and large.)
The fact that there seems to be little activity[2] to filter the material today indicates that it’s not a burning issue for Disney. Could it be because Disney is unaware of the success of Android Market, or could it be that Android Market is not big or successful enough to become a priority at Disney legal?
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- You can do the same search in iTunes and get about 120 iPhone apps, though at least half are clearly sanctioned with most of the rest being related to the parks franchise.
- There might be activity to police the copyrights as, unlike in September, there don’t seem to be many infringing apps in the top seller or featured sections.