DOJ Seizes App Piracy Domains

Three domains were seized yesterday for selling pirated mobile apps. ACT is pleased to see the Justice Department, in collaboration with French and Dutch officials, take this action to protect developers. Piracy is a real threat to our ecosystem where many apps cost just 99 cents. While it’s remarkable that some would steal software costing less than a dollar, this is not a trivial matter for app makers. Developers have to sell a lot of apps at a 99 cent price point to earn a living. With piracy rates as high as 90% for some Android apps, developers need all the help they can get. As ACT research has shown, most app makers are small businesses and don’t have the resources to sustain the losses that piracy brings. The Justice Department’s action yesterday offers encouragement to developers seeking to compete fairly in the app marketplace.