HN Explorer

Ask HN: Is it alright to fork an apk and sell it without making much changes?

2 points by wirddin ↗ HN
Given Psiphon's popularity, and the usage of VPNs in places where there are restrictions on the usage of the wireless network, this guy ripped off Psiphon's APK, changed the logos and other assets and uploaded the same on a Play Store account, without any credits given to Psiphon.

Whenever I see an update on Psiphon, like a feature to save data usage, I see the same reflecting in the copied app's changelog which is, I guess, a bit weird.

Shouldn't something be done to actually stop the duplication of apps?

Play Store URL : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ifreedomv2&hl=en

I just found out that the person doing it created a new account and removed the app from the previous account which had a paid version.

5 comments

[ 0.22 ms ] story [ 22.1 ms ] thread
smt88
This is probably how people who work on movies feel about piracy.

Unfortunately, like piracy, you can't stop it. All you can do is change your business model.

zachlatta
I'd honestly be surprised, unless you're referring to people who copy movies and then sell copies.

In this case, here's someone who made and published an app. Someone else copied the APK, changed the assets, and then resold it as an entirely different app. That'd be like someone copying a movie, changing the title, adding a couple of scenes, and then publishing it as an entirely new film.