Apple Performs App Store Cleanup, Removes Fakes

Apple is taking a aggressive stance against plagiarism in the iTunes App Store by removing all applications that mimic the look and feel of other (legitimate) titles in the venue.

A few examples of apps that got removed this weekend include Temple Jump, Tiny Birds, and Numbers With Friends. Named almost identically as their legit counterparts (Temple Run, Tiny Wings, or Words With Friends), the $1.99 apps duped numerous iOS customers into thinking they were downloading the original games.

They were not, according to TechCrunch. The blog cites a Guardian report about Anton Sinelnikov and how he developed the aforementioned fakes to essentially steal the money that should have been headed to independent studios like Imangi, Andreas Illiger, and the renowned iOS developer Zynga. According to these reports, Temple Jump was even able to top charts in paid apps.