Apple has removed the VLC media player from the iOS App Store, two months after it was alerted that the app violates an open source software licence.
Rémi Denis-Courmont, one of the lead developers of the desktop version of VLC, asked Apple to remove the iOS incarnation, because it isn’t being distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) for open source software.
Under the terms of the GPL, any individual and company can distribute the VLC software, but only so long as the people who receive the software from them have both the legal right and practical ability to share and change the software as well. Neither is possible with iOS apps distributed through the App Store.
Apple hasn’t confirmed the reason for removing the app, notifying Denis-Courmont through an attorney.
“I do not know for certain why Apple removed VLC, and Apple will probably never state the truth,” Denis-Courmont said, though the reason is secondary.
“The incompatibility between the GNU General Public License and the AppStore terms of use is resolved — the hard way,” he said.
“I am not going to pity the owners of iDevices, and not even the MobileVLC developers who doubtless wasted a lot of their time,” Denis-Courmont added. “This end should not have come to a surprise to anyone.”
