iBeer Vs iPint – the iPhone app legal battle begins
By Dave Parrack
It was bound to happen sooner or later, and so it has. One iPhone application developer is suing another because the former claims that the latter copied the idea and cost him a fortune in lost sales. The apps in question are iBeer and iPint, both virtual beers available as an App Store download for people who feel the need to always have a pint in their hands, even if they’re nowhere near a bar.
We’ve already seen how there is big money to be made from the iPhone App Store, but the chance to earn big money could be lost if someone else comes in and steals your idea. Which is what Steve Sheraton, a magician and creator of the iBeer app, is accusing Molson Coors of doing.
According to The Telegraph, Sheraton is suing the company for $12 million after it created the iPint and used it to promote Carling lager. The huge sum of money is being claimed in damages due to iBeer costing $3 compared to iPint being give away free as an advertising tool. This clearly lead to iPhone users choosing the free option over the one they’d have to pay for.
Sheraton claims that Molson Coors approached him a few months after iBeer hit the App Store asking to use the application as a promotional tool. When he refused, it’s alleged that the company made its own version, including a mini-game so as to differentiate iPint from iBeer.
Apart from that, the applications do appear to do the same thing, using the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer to give the impression that your iPhone is a pint of beer. The liquid swills around as the iPhone is moved, and you can even pretend to swig it back… if you’re that way inclined.
iPint is no longer available in the US, after Sheraton’s company sent a cease and desist letter to Molson Coors. But, it is still available to download in a host of other countries. The lawsuit claims that the iPint app was downloaded more than six million times since it launched in July, and in that time, the downloads of iBeer decreased dramatically.
It must have been heartbreaking to see an idea so brilliant nabbed by a big company. But whether the apps are similar enough to mean the copyright-infringement claims stand up in court remains to be seen. If Sheraton fails to prove his case, then expect to see many more similar apps appear in the near future.
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