Apple Nixes iPhone BitTorrent App

CUPERTINO, Calif. – Apple has rejected an iPhone application that would allow remote control of a transmission BitTorrent client.

Turning down the software, Drivettrain, Apple said it would not allow any app that could enable copyright infringement.

The app was created by Maza Digital, reports TorrentFreak and according to the company, its app would allow a user's iPhone to remotely control a multi-platform transmission BitTorrent client.

According to the site iLounge, Maza received an email that said the review would take longer than usual, and then a second email rejected the software, stating: "This category of applications is often used for the purpose of infringing third party rights. We have chosen to not publish this type of application to the App Store."

The rejected Maza Digital called the Apple decision "ridiculous", emphasizing that a BitTorrent client or the BitTorrent protocol are not illegal, which is true, it does depend on the nature of the files being shared. Many advocates of BitTorrent who use it to exchange legal files see Apple's move as excessive, but copyright holders disagree. And clearly, Apple is covering its proverbial rear, which makes sense considering its partnerships with music, film, TV and game companies via iTunes.

Maza added the land of Macs and iPhones "seems to have decided that any app that has anything to do with BitTorrent (even if the app does not download/upload anything!) is treated as doing something that ‘is often used for the purpose of infringing third party rights,’ and will therefore likely be rejected."