Apple criticized, for presuming terms acceptance in the mails sent to publishers invited to join news app
Apple criticized, for presuming terms acceptance in the mails sent to publishers invited to join news app

Apple criticized, for presuming terms acceptance in the mails sent to publishers invited to join news app

Apple launched a new News app which had similar features like Flipboard but more polished and interactive features. Later on, publishers complained that Apple is defrauding its publishers into accepting their Terms and Conditions. The issue was raised when Apple started rolling out unsolicited mails to publishers which invited them to join the news app services. The joining assumed that the publishers have accepted their terms and conditions unless they opt out of the system.

Apple criticized for presuming terms acceptance in the mails sent to publishers invited to join news app

Apple has been vituperated for such a threatening approach towards publishers. The terms read: “If we receive a legal claim about your RSS content, we will tell you so that you can resolve the issue, including indemnifying Apple if Apple is included in the claim.” This means the publishers are required to cover Apple if any legal issue is raised against the company regarding the service. This is one of the prime important conditions for publishers to accept if they are willing to join the news app team.

BBC News has spoken to three publishers regarding this. Mike Ash, one of the three publishers BBC contacted with, said that the mail presumed the terms and conditions have been accepted if they join the support. In order to protest this patronizing voice of Apple, he wrote a blog post named ” I Do Not Agree To Your Terms”. In his blog post Ash wrote, “Let me get this straight, Apple: you send me an email outlining the terms under which you will redistribute my content, and you will just assume that I agree to your terms unless I opt out?
“You’re going to consider me bound to terms you just declared to me in an email as long as I don’t respond? That’s completely crazy. You don’t even know if I received the email!”

Apple’s new news app will have human curations along with the basic features. These human curations will enable publishers to post their content publicly or via available RSS Newsfeed. The news app will launch along with iOS 9. Now we shall see how Apple reacts to this protest by publishers.

Source: BBC News

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