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Apple has threatened to remove Amphetamine from the App Store

(github.com)
946 points giuliomagnifico | 7 comments | 01 Jan 21 19:19 UTC | HN request time: 1.289s | source | bottom
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mmaunder ◴[01 Jan 21 19:42 UTC] No.25606123[source]▶
You’re angry. I’ve felt this in a trademark lawsuit. You think the world should get behind you and change the corrupt system.

My advice is to immediately rebrand as gracefully and effectively as possible and use all that activist energy to effect the transition.

They kind of have a point which doesn’t make them right, but they hold all the cards and you will lose this one and regret the wasted bandwidth.

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Bodell ◴[01 Jan 21 20:05 UTC] No.25606390[source]▶
Honestly if your name your product stupid things I would think that some of us might be choosing not to download your product as a result. And if a store decides not to sell your product because of this it’s really their prerogative. Saying you violated their terms with impunity for 6 years doesn’t mean they lose the right to correct the mistake.

This name is pretty rings rather badly in my ears, though I’m not offended by such things. I’d feel similarly if they had named it “fuck sleep”. I’m not offended by the word “fuck” but I don’t really want to buy products that are named that. Do apps need energy drink names to be successful? I’ve noticed a trend in talking about men’s balls in ads, manscaping, underwater fart jokes. It’s seems so much like idiocracy more then something offensive.

On the other hand a rose is still a rose. So I agree they should probably just rename it. I doubt there would be any major loss from doing so.

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bambax ◴[01 Jan 21 20:38 UTC] No.25606797[source]▶
> I’m not offended by the word “fuck” but I don’t really want to buy products that are named that.

Then don't. How is this relevant? They say the app has been downloaded 500,000 times, so many people are fine with the name.

These stories keep coming; they should remind us that nothing is more precious than the open web, and all those stores or walled gardens, their "rules" and vague TOS are the ennemy.

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1. _jal ◴[01 Jan 21 22:06 UTC] No.25607701[source]▶
It is less that the rules are vague than that the rules are whatever Apple says they are today, for you.

Apple was promoting Amphetamine not that long ago:

https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1470456860

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2. timsneath ◴[01 Jan 21 22:20 UTC] No.25607818[source]▶
Yeah. Clearly one team at Apple feels (or felt) that the name was no impediment to them marketing it. Like all corporations, Apple is just a congregation of human beings, rather than a synchronized hive mind. But it's problematic if app authors can't trust in consistency as a result.

FWIW, it's a net downside for me that my professional workstation has an app named "Amphetamine", so I'm quietly in favor of a rename. But it's obviously the author's prerogative to choose its branding, so long as it falls within (consistently) applied policies of those who they rely on to distribute it.

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3. Tsiklon ◴[01 Jan 21 22:22 UTC] No.25607836[source]▶
This, I think is perhaps the biggest item in the developer's favour. That Apple themselves found the name palatable enough to promote the app on the front page of their App Store with the existing name.
4. twitch-chat ◴[01 Jan 21 23:20 UTC] No.25608379[source]▶
How is it a net downside? The entire purpose of the App Store being locked down is that it's reliable. There is no way any HR department will launch an investigation because you downloaded an app called Amphetamine. Worst case scenario they go look it up and realize there's nothing more to the situation.

I'd have to see a documented event of this happening rather than a hypothetical scenario to believe a downside actually exists.

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5. colejohnson66 ◴[02 Jan 21 00:41 UTC] No.25609002{3}[source]▶
Just because your HR would be ok with it doesn’t mean all would be
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6. Brian_K_White ◴[02 Jan 21 02:07 UTC] No.25609556{4}[source]▶
Just because you imagine it's a problem doesn't mean it is.

Like they said, doc or it didn't happen.

7. michaelmrose ◴[02 Jan 21 02:30 UTC] No.25609731{4}[source]▶
Who is dumb enough to think people get drugs by installing an app called Amphetamine, monitors user software installs anally AND also lets users install their own software locally in the first place?

Most corporate PCs are windows. On a fraction of the macs users are allowed to install their own software, on a tiny fraction of those amphetamine is installed, on a tiny fraction of a fraction of those maybe someone exists who has a problem with HR.

I'm not sure the last subset actually exists in the real world nor that we ought to support censorship to help imaginary people deal with imaginary morons.