ipint

iPhone-app developer sues Coors for $12.5 million

Alaska Miller · 10/15/08 09:00AM

Hottrix, a software developer, is suing Coors for copying its $3 iBeer application. The novelty iPhone app shows a glass of beer that disappears as you tilt the iPhone sideways. Cute and harmless. Unless of course you're a major corporation that made a similar application, creatively called iPint, and gave it away for free as a marketing promotion. iPint consistently showed up in Apple's top 10 free applications list.Hottrix is alleging that they tried to reach an agreement with Coors but failed. After complaining to Apple, Coors' iPint was removed from the App Store in the U.S. — though it's still available in other countries. Hottrix still wants $12.5 million for damages for the alleged copying of its "wholly original ... and copyrightable subject matter." Copyrightable, not copyrighted? That may prove tricky to argue. Another case study on how not to cash out with an iPhone app.