Name: Apple sued for allowing loot boxes in App Store | AppleInsider
Brand: appleinsider.com
SKU: appleinsider-com-8
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Apple sued for allowing loot boxes in App Store | AppleInsider

preview

&nbsp;By3 days ago&nbsp;&nbsp;Apple on Friday was hit with a proposed class action lawsuit targeting loot boxes in games and apps, a mechanism typically characterized by in-app purchases that present buyers with randomized digital rewards. A filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleges Apple is complicit in promoting gambling and addictive behavior by allowing developers to market apps and games with loot boxes on the App Store. "Not unlike Big Tobacco's Joe Camel' advertising campaign, Apple relies on creating addictive behaviors in kids to generate huge profits for the Company," the complaint reads. "Over the last four years Defendant's App Store games have brought in billions of dollars, even though the vast majority of the games are free to download." Loot boxes are broadly defined as in-app purchases that grant users rewards, boosts, costumes, skins, weapons, or other special items. Popular in games, loot boxes provide a randomized chance to gain premium items, a mechanic that some closely associate with gambling. Indeed, real money is spent to obtain these special goods, sometimes through an in-game currency system. Apple is being targeted by the complaint because it profits from in-app purchases. "A large percentage of Apple's revenues from App Store games come from the in-game purchases of what are known in the gaming industry as loot boxes' or loot crates,'" the lawsuit alleges. "Dozens (if not hundreds) of App Store games rely on some form of Loot Box or similar gambling mechanism to generate billions of dollars, much of it from kids." Named plaintiff Rebecca Taylor claims her son, "C.T.," spent at least $25 in iTunes gift cards and his parents' money on loot boxes for Supercell's Brawl Stars. C.T. continues to have access to the iPhone and iPad on which Brawl Stars and other "freemium" games are installed. The complaint does not address Apple's parental control and App Store features that restrict minors from purchasing digital content without a parent's permission. Also mentioned in the complaint are Mario Kart Tour, FIFA Soccer, and Roblox, which along with Brawl Stars constitute some of the most popular games on iOS. Apple is also dinged for not explicitly noting the inclusion of loot boxes in App Store descriptions and allowing developers to age rate their own products. "Thus, there is no notice - and no requirement of any notice by Apple - to the parent or the child that a game contains Loot Boxes or other gambling mechanisms," the complaint reads. In sum, plaintiffs conclude loot boxes constitute gambling and are therefore in violation of California law. Complainants seek class status, restitution and disgorgement of the revenues wrongfully retained as a result of Apple's allegedly wrongful conduct, an injunction against further violations and court fees. The lawsuit is the latest development in a long-running debate over loot boxes, in-game purchases and microtransactions. In 2019, a proposed Senate bill called the "" sought to ban loot boxes, though the statute is not expected to gain traction. by on ScribdAppleInsider has affiliate partnerships and may earn commission on products purchased through affiliate links.These partnerships do not influence our editorial content.&nbsp;&nbsp;America, land of ridiculous lawsuits and haven of lawyer.&nbsp;Oh ffs! Parents!! Monitor and forbid certain actions/games! Apple isn’t your mother! Take responsibility and teach your own child!! Idiots.&nbsp;This is how to generate 18% of US's national GDP through legal services. Lots of frivolous law suits based on ridicules 'Me First' expectations. Land of 'Me First'!I would bet the lawyers went advertising for a lead plaintiff. &nbsp; This is 100% a lawyer driven grab. &nbsp; They are gambling, ironically, that their free work will payoff big.&nbsp;said:America, land of ridiculous lawsuits and haven of lawyer.&nbsp;It's actually a fairly logical result of the "freedom" of not having a government actively protecting the interests of the people.If you end up trusting that "the market" will fix everything, then you will also end up with some type of specialists that will act as agents of those not experienced enough in protecting their own rights within that market; which, simply put, would be the lawyers. But, that same group will of course also turn predatory, and mostly be in it for their own monetary gain; making the "too free" market reach stability at a lower efficiency than one where a democratic government more actively act on behalf of the people.Please enable JavaScript to view commentsYour iPhone or iPad can be more than just a search engine for recipes. There are countless ways that your Apple device can help make you a better cook.A future version of the "Apple Glass" smart glasses peripheral could compensate for less than perfect vision with automatically adjusting lenses for users that need prescription glasses or contact lenses.Apple's new espionage thriller 'Tehran' chronicles a young agent's adventures as she undertakes her first mission in Iran's capital city.Investment bank Wedbush is predicting that the "iPhone 12" will launch at about the same time that the iPhone X did, and despite coronavirus challenges, 5G will induce a super-cycle for Apple in 2020 and 2021.On the heels of Verizon's AirPods Pro discount, Amazon has matched the all-time low price on Apple's popular wireless earphones, just in time for Father's Day.Sonos has released an updated version of its popular Sonos Move portable AirPlay 2 speaker in a "Lunar White" version, while all Move speakers are gaining an extra hour of battery life.Two months after its last major update, Eve Systems is out with its newest version of its popular Eve HomeKit app with contextual menus, quick access to automation rules, and lot of little quality of life improvements.Adobe's flagship image editor gets bigger and better with updates to both its desktop and iPadOS versions — and Adobe continues to expand Sensei AI's role in its software suite.Copyright © 2020, Quiller Media, Inc.|||

&nbsp;By3 days ago&nbsp;&nbsp;Apple on Friday was hit with a proposed class action lawsuit targeting loot boxes in games and apps, a mechanism typically characterized by in-app purchases that present buyers with randomized digital rewards. A filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleges Apple is complicit in promoting gambling and addictive behavior by allowing developers to market apps and games with loot boxes on the App Store. "Not unlike Big Tobacco's Joe Camel' advertising campaign, Apple relies on creating addictive behaviors in kids to generate...

Apple sued for allowing loot boxes in App Store | AppleInsider

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS