There seems to be a new problem within the App Store that has developers up in arms. Copycat apps are ripping off functionality and passing Apple’s approval.

Developers are horrified at the prospect of others knocking off their work and selling it for much cheaper or giving it away for no cost. It’s not hard to view the contents of iPhone App file and strip sounds and images to reuse in the knockoff App. Apple seems to be furthering the problem by approving these Apps and not checking if other Apps already available duplicate the functionality an App in submission. Arstechnica summarizes the problem:

The problem isn’t just that these copycats are similar in concept or execution, but that they directly copy artwork, product descriptions, icons, and names, though sometimes the name or artwork is slightly modified. It’s relatively trivial to get inside a .ipa bundle and copy the artwork, as in the case of Touch Scan Pro, a nearly identical copy of Touch Scan.

Via: ZDNet