Apple Lawyers Target Blogs Covering iPhone "Skins" for Smartphones

Los Angeles - Lawyers for Apple have sent cease-and-desist letters to bloggers who reported on a series of skins based on its iPhone user interface, which independent programmers have developed for existing smartphones, Australia's The Age reported.

The iPhone skins, which copy the icons and layout seen in demonstrations of the iPhone during its unveiling at the Macworld conference last week, can run on Windows Mobile and Palm devices.

"While we appreciate your interest in the iPhone, the icons and screenshot displayed on your website are copyrighted by Apple," the law firm of O'Melveny & Myers LLP wrote to MoDaCo blogger Paul O'Brien, The Age reported.

"Apple therefore demands that you remove this screenshot from your website and refrain from facilitating the further dissemination of Apple's copyrighted material by removing the link to http://forum.xda-developers.com, where said icons and screenshot are being distributed."

Apple's lawyers also targeted the sites hosting the offending applications, and it appears that the Windows Mobile and Palm iPhone skin downloads mentioned above have now been taken down.