Piracy

Piracy is a huge problem in the jailbreak community and here is the evidence to prove it

Jeff Benjamin ∙ May 7, 2012

I'm not trying to pile on after my post about i0n1c, but my friend and iOS developer Filippo Bigarella just posted some stunning evidence as to how bad piracy is within the community.

Bigarella is the mind behind such tweaks as Springtomize 2 and CleverPin, and he's clearly one of the most talented and dedicated developers in the community. Hence, it's sad to learn that his hard work is taken for granted by so many people. His latest tweak, Springtomize 2, has an audacious 92% piracy rate!

And you wonder why people like i0n1c point to the piracy problem within the community?

Top Angry Birds Exec Thinks Piracy Can Help Promote Games

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 31, 2012

App piracy is something which is a real problem for many iOS developers, especially the smaller, independent ones. Things don't get much easier for the big guys, either.

Rovio, the people behind Angry Birds, also suffer from a spot of piracy, and not just of the app variety, either. All sorts of merchandise is being made and sold in Asia, with Rovio getting nothing by way of monetary compensation. But that doesn't seem to bother Rovio's CEO Mikael Hed.

In fact, he seems to be surprisingly happy about it...

Apple Set for Legal Battle over iBook Piracy in China

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated July 10, 2017

As if Apple's lawyers don't have enough on their plate right now, it appears that they will soon be needing to hop on a plane and head to China, with a new legal bruhaha brewing.

Apple is now being asked for $1.88 million dollars, with a collection of Chinese authors claiming that 37 of their works are being distributed illegally on the iBookstore – Apple's Kindle competitor.

As if to add insult to injury, Apple has been taking its customary 30% of all sales in the store, effectively receiving money thanks to pirated materials...

Apple Starts Fighting App Store Piracy

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

It seems like Apple has taken its fight with app piracy to a new level. Apptrackr, the web portal known for harboring hundreds of thousands of pirated apps, has published a blog post today about its recent troubles with the folks in Cupertino.

Apple has been serving Apptrackr and its many file hosts a number of takedown notices over the past several months. While the legal action hasn't disrupted Apptrackr's service, it has provoked the site to make a number of costly changes.

Why Piracy Hurts the Jailbreak Community

Alex Heath ∙ December 2, 2011

A recent post by jailbreak developer Filippo Bigarella really hit me. Filippo is a relatively well-known developer in the jailbreak community, and his most recent app, Springtomize 2, has been making huge splashes since its public release yesterday.

We have a great relationship with Filippo at iDB, and I consider him a friend. He's a good guy who makes incredible software. His stance on pirating Springtomize says a lot about how piracy hurts the jailbreak community.

Porting Siri to the iPhone 4 Will Require Piracy

Sébastien Page ∙ October 12, 2011

Last week we broke the news that jailbreak hacker iH8sn0w was actively working on bringing Siri to iDevices like the 4G iPod touch and iPhone 4. This got a lot of people excited at the possibility of getting access to Siri's artificial intelligence without having to upgrade to the iPhone 4S.

This morning, the Dev Team's MuscleNerd sent out a tweet saying that porting Siri to the iPhone 4 or any other iDevice would most likely require piracy, something that the Dev Team has always refused to do...

Android Apps Make Less Money than App Store Apps, Piracy to Blame

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated March 18, 2016

It's a story that's been told before, but it seems that Android developers aren't getting much love, with a new report suggesting that they are making only a fraction of what their iOS competitors are raking in.

The reason that Android apps are less profitable than App Store apps? Oddly enough, piracy...

Ask Jeff: Episode 04

Jeff Benjamin ∙ August 26, 2011

Folks, we're back with Episode 04 of Ask Jeff. I wanted to thank everyone for all of the great questions; we had over 200 combined questions for Episode 03.

Unfortunately, that means that I didn't get to answer everyone's question, but I still managed to cover quite a few interesting inquiries this go 'round.

Inside, you'll find out how much money I've spent on Cydia tweaks over the years, whether I'd consider switching to Verizon, and what my first Apple product was.

In other words, tune in and prepare your questions; you won't want to miss this...

Ask Jeff: Episode 03

Jeff Benjamin ∙ August 17, 2011

In this week's episode of Ask Jeff, I tackle a whole host of interesting questions. This episode dwells more on the personal behind-the-scenes side of things, so I hope you folks enjoy.

Questions answered include: My opinions on pirated repos & Installous, the iPhone 5's 4G LTE potential, and the type of cameras I use for filming our videos.

I believe I've hit a record by personally answering 10 different questions from our readers, so tune in to see if your question was among those answered...

App Developers Speak Out on Rampant Piracy Problem

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 12, 2018

While most of us are painfully aware of the app piracy that goes on in the jailbreak community, I don't know if any of us knew it was this bad. TechCrunch highlighted a small iOS software firm last week that has witnessed first hand just how rampant the problem is.

GAMEized is the proud creator of FingerKicks, a simple $0.99 soccer (football) game for iOS devices. The app is the company's first entry into Apple's popular software platform, and it might just be their last...

Dissident and i0n1c on Banning Pirated Apps in iOS 5 Jailbreak

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Stefan Esser, better known as "i0n1c," has been receiving a lot of heat from the jailbreak community as of late. Stefan is a prominent member of the jailbreak developer scene, and he was responsible for the untethered exploit that has been used for the iOS 4.3 jailbreak.

i0n1c recently introduced the idea of banning pirated apps in the iOS 5 jailbreak. He stated that if he were to release the jailbreak for iOS 5, he would consider placing a restriction on installing apps from the infamous 'Installous' repo. Millions of jailbreakers use Installous to download pirated apps.

Hackulous, the group behind Installous, obviously feels very differently about i0n1c's notion. The frontman for Hackulous, known as Dissident, has also shared his thoughts on the issue of banning cracked apps through a jailbreak.

iOS 5 Jailbreak Could Be the End of Pirated Apps

Alex Heath ∙ June 13, 2011

Stefan Esser, better known as i0n1c, is a prominent member of the jailbreak community. His untethered exploit was responsible for the jailbreak that lasted from iOS 4 to 4.3.3, and he has been contributing to the Dev Team for quite some time.

i0n1c's untethered jailbreak may have been killed in iOS 5, but he's got a new and very controversial idea for another iOS 5 jailbreak in the future: blocking access to pirated apps.