Apple sued over claims it stole tech for Continuity Camera
What's the story
Apple is facing a lawsuit from Reincubate, the company behind the Camo smartphone webcam app. The suit was filed in a US federal court in New Jersey, accusing Apple of anti-competitive behavior and patent infringement. Reincubate claims that Apple copied its technology and integrated similar features into iOS to hurt Camo's product through its control over software ecosystem.
Feature comparison
Reincubate's Camo app vs Apple's Continuity Camera
Reincubate's Camo and Camo Studio apps turn iOS or Android phones into webcams for Macs and PCs. The company launched Camo in 2020, while Apple introduced Continuity Camera in 2022. However, the latter only works within Apple's device ecosystem. The lawsuit alleges that Apple copied patented features from Camo and integrated them into iOS to "redirect user demand to Apple's own platform-tied offering."
Legal claims
Allegations of antitrust violations and patent infringement
The lawsuit claims that Apple's conduct violates US antitrust laws by strengthening its dominance in the smartphone software market and restricting users from switching to rival platforms. It also accuses Apple of infringing Reincubate's patents. The case has been filed as Reincubate Ltd v. Apple Inc in the US District Court for New Jersey, with Reincubate seeking monetary damages and court orders to stop Apple's alleged misconduct.
Accusations
Reincubate accuses Apple of 'Sherlocking' and leveraging trust
Reincubate alleges that Apple "actively induced and encouraged" it to develop and market Camo before incorporating similar functionality into iOS as Continuity Camera. The lawsuit describes this behavior as "Sherlocking," a term used for Apple's practice of appropriating innovative software developed outside its ecosystem. It also claims that Apple built a close relationship with Reincubate to gain insight into its technology, which was then leveraged for Continuity Camera's development.
Internal use
Reincubate claims Camo was used internally at Apple
The lawsuit also claims that Camo had significant internal use at Apple before Continuity Camera's launch. "Camo was used by thousands of Apple employees, across all divisions of the company," the lawsuit says. It further alleges that when Apple recognized Camo as a threat, it not only copied its features but also undermined its functionality to prevent competition with Continuity Camera.
Competition concerns
Reincubate's CEO accuses Apple of suppressing competition
In a blog post, Reincubate CEO Aidan Fitzpatrick accused Apple of trying to suppress competition. He said, "Rather than competing with us, Apple deployed a series of obstacles to tilt the playing field, infringed our IP, and did so in service of preventing competition from rival platforms." Fitzpatrick also claimed that Apple had "thousands of staff" running the app internally and made "all sorts of promises" about support.