Forget Cybersquatting. How Regarding App Store Squatting?

Apple limits time you can reserve app name.

Here’s an interesting article from Cult of Mac regarding a different type of squatting: app store squatting.

We all know how notable it is to have a good domain name. The same goes for your iPhone/iPod/iPad app on iTunes. But did you know you can reserve a name for your iPhone app for ever, blocking other app creators from using it?

Well, until now.

It used to be that you could pay $99 and reserve your app name. Now you need to show that you actually intend to use it or Apple will release the name for someone else. Within 90 days of reserving the name you need to have a binary for the app. If you don’t then you have 30 more days to produce it or the name will be released.

Cult of Mac states you can still easily get around this requirement by creating a crappy, unrelated binary. It’s kind of like with domain names — what exactly qualifies as a “developed” domain name, anyway?