Earlier this month, patent-holding company Lodsys started going after small-time iOS developers, sending them “notice” letters which claim the developers are infringing on one of Lodsys’ patents for in-app purchasing technology. In these notices, Lodsys demands that developers license the patent from them for 0.575% of the U.S. revenue generated using in-app purchases and many companies have been put between a rock and a hard place, with the cost of fighting a potential lawsuit could be far greater than simply paying Lodsys.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the real problem isn’t just that, but the fact that Apple actually requires developers to use the technology they could be sued for using and it’s called on the company to stand up and shoulder the burden.