Ben and Dan Volach, two Israeli brothers, developers by profession, are at the head of what is becoming an "AppRising" against Apple (Apple shares, -8,00%) and its increasingly controversial App Store.
“We like Apple as a company, but it has a really dark side,” says Ben. The brothers claim that Apple copied a feature from their email app, BlueMail, and immediately launched it in the App Store without notice.
The case of BlueMail
Ben, 37, and Dan, 43, have decided to challenge Apple and its 30% App Store developer fee when no one else would. Now, they find themselves at the forefront of a digital uprising against the iPhone maker, side by side with Epic, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), Facebook Inc. (FB), Spotify Technology Inc. (SPOT), and other big names.
The Volachs' company, Blix Inc., was the only other private company to file an antitrust litigation against the iPhone maker in October 2019, which led them to work closely with the staff of rep David Cicilline. , DR.I., president of the Antitrust Subcommittee of the Judicial Chamber, in advance of the hearing on July 29 with the Big Tech.
What moved the Volachs was Apple's decision to introduce an app called “Sign With Apple” at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2019, which bore a striking resemblance to a feature of Blix's email app, BlueMail.
Apple's new feature allows users to generate a random email address for apps upon login, so they never have to give their personal information to third parties.
In 2018, BlueMail launched a patented feature that does exactly the same thing. Additionally, Apple removed BlueMail from the Mac App Store a few days after Sign With Apple's debut, reinforcing the Volachs 'assumption that Apple manipulates apps in the Store to promote its own over competitors'.
A few months later, Blix sued Apple in a Delaware court, claiming patent infringement and violation of US antitrust laws. An Apple spokesperson said BlueMail was removed from the macOS store due to security concerns. Apple has attempted to partner with Blix to bring the app back to the store and offer developers a "fair playing field," the company said in a statement.
A battle not for everyone
What has prompted the Volachs to take action, beyond outrage, is their ability to devote the resources, time and effort needed to take on a corporate giant like Apple, which has a market value of over $ 2 trillion.
While other small developers retire from financial obligations, the Volachs have a cushion of sorts: in 2006 they sold their mobile messaging company, Followap, for about $ 140 million. “We are optimistic and will continue to fight for change,” says Ben. "Many smaller companies simply don't have the resources, the time and the effort to fight Apple."
