PROLOQUO ITUNES BACKUP UPDATE
At this point, an update from Apple to the iPad's operating system (which gets updated semi-regularly) could render SfY useless (because if the new operating system was to be incompatible with the code for SfY, there would be no way for the team to reconfigure the app to make it compatible with the new OS and send out the updated version). With the removal of Speak for Yourself from the iTunes store, the SfY team has lost the ability to send out updates or repairs to the people who are currently using the app. We are now shadowed by a huge, impending threat. and then on June 4th Apple notified SfY that the app had been removed, due to the fact that the dispute with PRC/SCS had not been resolved.Īt the moment, we still have the app, securely loaded into her iPad and present in my iTunes account, and Maya remains blissfully unaware that anything has changed. The lawyer for SfY responded, explaining to Apple exactly why the infringement claims are unfounded, referring Apple to the current open court case, and pointing out that PRC/SCS had not asked the court for an injunction ordering the app to be removed from the store. In turn, Apple contacted SfY and requested their response to these claims. When Speak for Yourself was removed from the iTunes store.Īccording to this court document, here’s how this happened: PRC/SCS contacted Apple and requested that Speak for Yourself be removed from the iTunes store, claiming that it infringes on their patents. I’ve been so busy embracing this new reality and celebrating that I kind of forgot that there was an ongoing lawsuit. It’s given us the gift of getting to know our child on a totally different level. This app has not only allowed her to communicate her needs, but her thoughts as well. We’ve learned that she loves talking about the days of the week, is weirdly interested in the weather, and likes to pretend that her toy princesses are driving the bus to school (sometimes) and to work (other times). Maya can speak to us, clearly, for the first time in her life.
And two days ago she looked at my husband as he walked by and tapped “Daddy, I love you.” She politely makes requests, tapping out “I want cookie please.” She makes jokes, like looking out the window at the bright sunshine and tapping “today rain” and laughing (what can I say, 4 year olds don’t tell the best jokes). now, only weeks later, we are living that future. In my original post I imagined a future in which I could hear Maya “speak” in phrases and share her thoughts. The second, and far more exciting development, is that Maya’s progress in using the app to communicate has been staggering. I was able to relax a little and lose some of the terror that SfY (which Maya was already relying on) would be suddenly yanked away or disappear. First, I learned a tiny bit about patent law, most notably that while in the worst case scenario (for us, a verdict again Speak for Yourself) the judge could shut down the app, it was also quite possible that PRC/SCS would only be awarded monetary damages. Maya was poised to become a very real, very human, and very adorable casualty of patent law.Īfter that blog post, two big things happened. You can read the original post here, and see the numerous news articles that were spurred by this case here. Maya, who is four years old and unable to speak, uses an app called Speak for Yourself (SfY) to communicate, and the creators of SfY were being sued for patent infringement by Prentke Romich Company (PRC) and Semantic Compaction Systems (SCS), two much larger companies that make designated communication devices (not iPad apps). Thanks!)Įleven weeks ago I wrote about a lawsuit that posed a threat to my daughter’s voice.
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Business disputes should have business resolutions, and those who need this app to communicate should be assured that they will not lose it. (Edited on 6/19/12 to add: A petition is now up on asking that Speak for Yourself be returned to the App Store immediately and allowed to remain there throughout litigation and regardless of the lawsuit results.
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