Aptoide, an alternative marketplace for Android apps, has removed popular Popcorn Time and Showbox lists from its repositories.
The company has not commented on its decision but seems to have taken it after a complaint that the Store has encouraged copyright infringement through these applications.
Aptoide is an alternative to the official Google Play Store. Among other things, it allows users to install too many applications on their Android devices.
The digital marketplace, which operates out of Portugal, recently accused Google of anti-competitive behavior when the biggest search firmsignalνε σαν ανsafe webσελίδα.
The quarrel with Google was not the only disputation of the Aptoide market. A few weeks ago, the company was accused by two filmmakers, TBV Productions and Hunter Killer Productions. They are behind the films "I Feel Pretty" and "Hunter Killer" respectively.
Producers accuse Aptoide store of facilitating mass piracy. In particular, the complaint states that the company promotes, encourages and promotes the use of Popcorn Time and Showbox applications in violation of copyright.
Popcorn Time and Showbox are free applications that allow users to view videos. Both support BitTorrent streaming and are regularly linked to piracy. This has often led app developers into legal trouble.
"The defendants should take steps to stop the mass hijacking of the movie shows run by Show Box app and Popcorn Time," the complaint said.
The producers state that the Aptoide store displays both applications as "reliable" which means that they are "100% secure". While 100% refers to security issues, the plaintiffs consider it as a promotion of the application.
According to Aptoide's statistics, the two apps are quite popular. Popcorn Time has been downloaded from 500.000 down to 3 millions times, while Showbox has between 5 and 25 million downloads. This is no surprise as both apps are described as great sources for free movies.
Copyright owners are naturally seeking damages for alleged violations, as well as a court order that will stop Aptoide store from providing these apps to the public.
However, it appears that the court order will not be needed, as Aptoide has already deprived the applications of its digital shelves. The initial URLs of the Showbox and Popcorn Time apps, which were in the complaint, do not lead anywhere.
“We didn't find the App you were looking for. Try using the search form above to find your app “
Many other Popcorn Time apps have been removed, even though they are not mentioned in the complaint.
Watch this PDF with the Torrentfreak complaint.
_________________________
- Top Secret: From Ciphers to Cybersecurity. 100 years GCHQ
- Debian 10 Buster a few words about the latest stable release
- Apps override Google's policy of rights
- Google Stadia comes in November: Everything you need to know
