∞ Apple says developers are licensed for Lodsys patents

In a letter sent to Lodsys on Monday, Apple asked that the company withdraw letters sent to app developers demanding they license the technology.

[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]”Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patents and the App Makers are protected by that license,” wrote Bruce Sewell, Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

Lodsys sent a letter to several Apple iOS developers on May 13, 2011 claiming that they had to license the company’s technology, which allowed for in-app purchases. However, developers felt that because Apple licensed the technology and offered it as a way to provide its users with in-app purchases, they should be able to use it.

Apple feels the same way.

“Thus the technology that is targeted in your notice letters is technology that Apple is expressly licensed under the Lodsys patents to offer to Apple’s App Makers,” wrote Sewell. “These licensed products and services enable Apple’s App Makers to communicate with end users through the use of Apple’s own licensed hardware, software, APIs, memory, servers, and interfaces, including Apple’s App Store. Because Apple is licensed under Lodsys’ patents to offer such technology to its App Makers, the App Makers are entitled to use this technology free from any infringement claims by Lodsys.”