Name theft troubling Chinese Windows 8 developers already. New policy may come to Windows Phone 8.

New name-changes to Windows eight could come up down to Windows Phone 8 in Cathay

Less than 24 hours agone, Microsoft opened up the much anticipated app submissions to the Windows 8 store. However, the great news has been thwarted by Microsoft's new app naming policy.

In the Windows Phone Marketplace, app naming follows a pretty simple rule: name your app whatever you want. If multiple developers detect the same proper noun a smashing fit for their apps or games, they could just become ahead with information technology. For example, if yous search the Marketplace for "engadget" now, y'all will end up with quite a few apps under the same proper noun.

This won't happen in Windows 8 store though. Microsoft has now fabricated it a policy that every app must accept an unique name. More than that, Windows eight developers apparently are allowed to "reserve" app names without actually submitting anything. As a event, Chinese programmer MoHoo, the creator of popular Windows Telephone app MoHoo Reader (e-book reader) and MoHoo Weather (weather app), woke up this morning only to find the proper name "MoHoo Atmospheric condition" in Chinese has already been snatched by some early on bird of dubious ethics.

Non being able to submit an app with established popularity nether its rightful name, MoHoo filed a complaint to Microsoft (presumably Microsoft China), and claims to have got the following electronic mail screenshot in return:

For a quick translation, essentially Microsoft'south reply is saying:

"Hi dear developer. We are sorry you lot are not the legal owner of [the Chinese name for "MoHoo Atmospheric condition"]. We know the app is doing well on Windows Telephone 7 and do hope information technology to go along to be then on Windows viii. Simply you lot are supposed to exist stuck in this frustration all right. Y'all failed to reserve the app name starting time, and the name is not a legally recognized intellectual property of yours. To solve your trouble, please try the following:

• a) Legally establish the Chinese proper name for "MoHoo Atmospheric condition" as your intellectual holding, come back with another complaint so, submit all your legal papers and let'southward encounter what happens.
• b) Find the guy who reserved your app name, and try to negotiage your way out of it.
• c) Simply find yourself a new app name and be done with it.

If you have whatever further questions or status update, delight contact them."

Well, put everything bated, who's "them"? All parties involved in this are: MoHoo ("you"), Microsoft dev support ("us"), and a nameless party who supposedly snatched an app name. You are not suggesting a developer should report to the supposed thief over disputed app proper noun, are you...?

And the folks at MoHoo actually went ahead to study how long or how much price it takes to register "MoHoo Weather" equally a Chinese trademark, a sure way to "legally announce buying". The answer is discouraging. Non because the money factor, it generally takes ii years to get a trademark registered in China. By then I approximate developers are probably looking frontward to Windows 9 already. Intellectual property protection might not exist a trouble to large guys like Ubisoft. But to indie developers? Let me know if you lot could proper name whatsoever pocket-sized scale developer with safe & sound legal protection for their own products.

Meanwhile, the developer behind Windows Phone game Happy Fisher also plant the game's Chinese name "reserved" past somebody else in Windows 8 store. Microsoft should seriously think twice almost its new app naming policy. This is like throwing "grass-root developers", aka a vibrant force in Windows/Windows Phone ecosystem into a ocean of boiling chaos, while the big names are well protected. If this is indeed what Microsoft wants, I'm seeing a new business of speedily generating revenue already:

• Create an App Hub business relationship, with some toll just that will be recovered very soon.
• Browse the Windows Phone Market, write down the names of all popular apps & games.
• Start reserving everything on your list, preferably the ones from weak indie developers.
• Brand a cup of tea and wait for people to reach you. Make a million dollars out of every single name transfering asking.
• Count the money, retire.

Why not? Looks similar this is backed up by Microsoft policy anyhow... Let us know if y'all have tried this and got considerable success, or if yous are one of the unlucky guys with your app name stolen.

Update: According to WPDang'southward tracking, aside from MoHoo Weather, at that place are at least 5 other popular Chinese Windows Telephone apps robbed of their names in the Windows viii store. Microsoft'south new policy is such a great opportunity for gold diggers. I wonder why it's not a global trend yet.

Updage again: MSDN Mainland china just made an official reply on Sina weibo to the situation. Evidently Microsoft fabricated the policy but never seen this mess coming. The situation is said to be reported to Redmond, and a new complaint organization might be on the way.

Source: Sina weibo (MoHoo); WPDang; Sina weibo (MSDN China)

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/fail-day-1-name-theft-troubling-windows-8-developers-already

Posted by: goodsoncined1957.blogspot.com

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