perishthethought comments on Figma Disables AI App Design Tool After It Copied Apple’s Weather App

[–] perishthethought@lemm.ee 11 points 2 years ago (5 children)

I'm curious, what exactly is the problem with this? Does Apple have copyrights on the whole design or each individual visual element? Where would figma get in trouble if they left it working that way?

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[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 14 points 2 years ago (1 child)

I'm not a lawyer, I could imagine that a copyright claim for a specific app design is viable.
But in this case, it might also just be a case of avoiding bad press and bad blood with Apple.

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[–] conorab@lemmy.conorab.com 4 points 2 years ago

Could it be a fear of a software patent relating to the design? Back in the day Apple had one for swipe to unlock that prompted Android to use different patterns.

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[–] kinttach@lemm.ee 6 points 2 years ago (1 child)

It’s a PR issue not a legal one.

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[–] perishthethought@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago

Yah. ALl of this makes me think it's crazy for a company like Figma to even try this. If the designs don't steal from well known brand, people will say they suck. If they do steal, they get booed as well. Losing proposition, it seems to me.

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[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Apple has copyrights on the looks of every element, and patents on the way they interact. Aldo trademarks, but I doubt they apply in this case.

Some patents may have expired (good thing they don't last as long as copyrights), some they may not bother to defend (litigate) against small users.