Could Hearst iPhone Apps Bring Backlash?

Hearst Corp. plans to churn out thousands of iPhone applications focused on niche topics within categories such as celebrities, food, hobbies, and sports. Mediapost reports.

Hearst's LMK ("let me know") applications unit has already released some 70 titles in the App Store priced mostly at $1.99 and including apps tailored to fans of Angelina Jolie, the Boston Red Sox and Green Day. Sound like an expensive proposition? Hearst told The Wall Street Journal it can turn out the apps at low cost by using a similar template for each and linking to information from outside sources.

The publisher is paying for rights to photos but not other content pulled from traditional news outlets and blogs.

If the LMK apps proliferate as planned and end up selling in measurable amounts, then it raises a question about whether content owners whose material is used in the apps will take issue with the apps or seek a piece of the App Store action. News publishers like the AP to News Corp. have long complained about sites like Google News and The Huffington Post hijacking their content.

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emily | 7:12 PM | Cell Phone Apps Related Articles |
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