Apple bans apps that criticize or make fun of public figures-unless you've won a Pulitzer

Remember when we told you about Apple's decision to ban x-rated downloads in the App Store? Well, that was just the beginning. Apps that use titles with a trademarked Apple word are a no-no, and yes, Steve Jobs recently claimed that the word "pad" was owned by Apple. Other things that will not fly in the App Store are apps with limited usability, and apps that criticize public figures-unless you have won the Pulitzer Prize. Back in December, editorial cartoonist Mike Fiore's NewsToons app was removed because it ridiculed public figures, something that is practically in the job description for an editorial cartoonist. Two things happened that made it easy for Apple to reverse its decision. First, Mr. Fiore told some fellow journalists what had gone down. Secondly, Mr. Fiore won some little trophy called the Pulitzer Prize. When the cartoonist was a rabble rousing artist with the poison of defamation coursing through his pencils, Cupertino wanted no part of him. But once Fiore became a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with skill and great wit, Apple recanted the App Store ban and NewsToons came back. All this highlights the double standards employed by Apple. For creating parody caricatures of Senators and Congressmen, BobbleRep was removed by Apple and has not returned. Of course, the site never won a Pulitzer. When asked why his site was returned to active status on App Store, Mr. Fiore shied away from discussing the Pulitzer and instead said, "Looks like some guy named Steve Jobs was able to nudge my app past the gatekeepers.”

source: NYTimes, HuffingtonPost