
Yo Is Trying To Get Parody App YOLO and Others Pulled From The App Store - outrightfree
http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/31/yo-is-trying-to-get-parody-app-yolo-pulled-from-the-app-store/
======
kybernetyk
Of course! Because the market for yo-styled communication software and devices
is worth around 7 trillions USD.

If twitter is valued around 50 billions USD with 140 char messages then it is
only fair and sensible to value Yo at ((140 - strlen("yo")) *
twitter_valuation) USD.

~~~
_pmf_
The math checks out.

------
amirmc
1\. Build toy app in a weekend.

2\. See it go viral.

3\. Somehow raise money -- because crazy user 'growth' is the new 'eyeballs'.

4\. Pay lawyers to take down similar apps -- also created in a weekend.

5\. Users get bored and move on to the next thing.

Apps like this are no different to a short-lived meme. This is not value
creation.

~~~
FlailFast
Well, there is some value. For example, the value from having some popcorn and
watching these things implode.

------
thoth
>Improving on our concept is welcome

Well shoot I better start on my "Dude" app that lets whoever you messaged
respond with "Sweet".

~~~
warcode
Can I have an optional "Nice" response as an IAP instead of ads?

------
robert_tweed
I hope Apple's response to this wasting of their time is to decide that none
of these apps meet the basic requirements of usefulness and pull all of them,
including Yo, from the App Store.

It was funny for a while but let's not start a trend of worthless trademark
trolling becoming the new software patents.

~~~
amirmc
I actually don't like that Apple acts as arbiter of what's considered
'useful'. Especially since I don't have a choice of App store. I'd rather they
just check for malicious code or use of private APIs and let the rest through.
Alas, that's not the choice they made.

~~~
robert_tweed
It's a double-edged sword, but Apple does provide certain end-user guarantees
about the quality of software on the App Store and overall, it's a net win
compared to the vast amounts of garbage that can be found in say, the Windows
or Android ecosystems.

It's a win for both developers and consumers, because less competition at a
higher standard means more market share goes to developers that genuinely
innovate and deliver value and less goes to those that just game the rankings
system by spamming with cloned crapware and fake reviews.

The fact that the platform is a complete walled garden is the real problem,
not whatever Apple chooses for their quality/decency standards. I am very
happy that Apple chooses to enforce those standards within their own
ecosystem. I'd just prefer if they allowed access to alternatives as well,
which hopefully will happen in the future as they become a larger monopoly and
pressure on them to open up becomes more of a mainstream concern.

------
wastedhours
Patent 53165464: Mechanism to send the word "Yo" to other users. On a
computer.

~~~
drivingmenuts
Please tell me you made that up.

Honestly, it's hard to tell.

~~~
middleclick
I honestly looked that up. Sigh, Poe's law.

------
SurfScore
As long as my "Hodor" app can stay around, I don't care.

Hodor

~~~
sp332
(Edited) Android users can Hodor from any app: This replaces your Android
keyboard with one that only types "Hodor".
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.richapps.h...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.richapps.hodorkeyboard.app&hl=en)
It costs $0.99 and has over 1,000 installs.

~~~
SurfScore
I was talking about the Hodor "Yo" clone. Instead of saying Yo, it says Hodor.
I've got it on my iPhone

------
scott_s
All kidding aside, Yo's use case _is_ real. We just typically call it a
_ping_. But implicit in a ping is a _response_. I assume that typical use of
Yo also involves a response. So, someone please do the right thing and
implement a "Ping" app which, upon receiving a ping, gives the user an
explicit option to respond with "ACK".

~~~
krapp
That doesn't make it a million dollar idea, though.

I mean... ok, yes _literally_ it does in Yo's case but... never mind.

~~~
jarman
Novelty + positive feedback loop + marketing. Yo is not million dollar idea,
it's combination of luck and successful marketing that brought money

------
opendais
Does anyone else find this so stupid its hilarious?

You can't claim an app to message people is your IP.

~~~
matthewcford
trademark infringement, that is if they have one for "Yo"

~~~
opendais
Which is fixed with a name change.

------
minimaxir
It should be noted that Yo has been consistently falling down the app charts
since it hit the peak during its 15 minutes of fame. It's currently #65 in
category on the App Store when it used to be #5 overall (and received the
funding).

------
bitlord_219
> That may be true, but the YOLO app is also a bit of a joke. Explains Betty
> Xi, one of the team members who helped create YOLO, their app was built to
> “poke fun at Yo.”

Should have called it "Dumb Yo."
[http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/02/09/42085/dumb-starbucks-
cof...](http://www.scpr.org/news/2014/02/09/42085/dumb-starbucks-coffee-shop-
opens-in-los-feliz/)

~~~
BettyXi
Good idea.

------
return0
Yo is just trying again to remain in the headlines. Spending their million
wisely.

------
tomasien
When we launched coffitivity.com (a silly but surprisingly popular website) we
had about 100 clones come out, a few in the app store actually using our name.
We had a little more pride than to try to get them taken down.

~~~
Deinos
Don't sell your idea short by calling it "silly." I have actually used it
quite often when I just want a little ambient noise quickly to get some work
done. Nice work and much appreciated!

~~~
acallwood
Thanks @Deinos! Although, I'd agree with Tommy that the site itself IS silly -
it's like dead stupid simple if we're being honest. Hell, as the co-founder I
called Coffitivity ridiculous before we ever started building. That said, the
utility becomes apparent pretty quickly and outweighs how trivial it seemed at
first. We're really stoked you're enjoying it.

~~~
tomasien
Yeah that's what I mean

------
amolgupta
Everyone agrees that YO was an easy to make and good for nothing
application.Generating a huge amount of funding was a marketing gimmic and
ofcource it attracts compitition give that its so "easy to develop".

------
alexnimh
Someone should open source code and people should submit similar apps.
Copyright infingement is a little far fetched when other apps are specifically
parody/satire apps.

My app would be called something like fuckyo!

~~~
poopsintub
Copying the GUI to a "t" is still infringing on their rights though.

------
acconrad
The sobriety of Or's emails to his "competition" makes him seem completely
delusional to the absurdity of his application's popularity and existence.

~~~
ianstallings
Ah don't get too mad at them. They have a responsibility to do these things so
their shareholders don't pull them aside and give them an earful about "not
doing enough". At least now they can say they tried. Even though it most
likely will not change anything.

It's also another way to keep their name in the press.

------
jack-r-abbit
Yo is the "Hot Dog Toaster"[1] of the app world. It does one thing and does it
great. But there are other things that have the same functionality AND will
also do more. It is a single use app(liance) that will just clutter your place
up eventually.

[1] [http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-
keywords=hot%20dog%20toaster](http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-
keywords=hot%20dog%20toaster)

------
Khaine
I thought Yo was a parody app!

------
WWKong
Maybe they should try and get iMesssages pulled. Because I stopped using Yo
app after first 3 mins but now between friends we sometimes text "yo" to
start/end the conversation. But that is getting old too.

------
rcavezza
I'm surprised Apple took Yo's complaint seriously. This is the verbatim text
of their complaint: "The app is a complete fake copy of our Yo app".

------
bluecalm
10 million valuation and 1.5M in funding.

Is it possible that funding this kind of project is form of fraud/giving money
to friends/family ? I mean if you are in position to fund such project using
company money and your friends work for that project then 10M valuation checks
out. Maybe you could use your money as well for tax purposes (no idea how that
works in US). People aren't usually too happy to give money away and it's hard
to believe anybody takes 10M valuation seriously so fraud is one natural
hypothesis to consider.

~~~
kordless
> so fraud is one natural hypothesis to consider

Why exactly is it 'natural' to speculate negatively using poorly formed
logical conclusions? Those VCs that gave them money agreed to the valuation.
Just because you disagree agree with it does not imply that there is fraud
going on inside the company.

~~~
bluecalm
It's not "just because I disagree". It's overwhelming reaction to those
valuations among tech community. For example here on HN you see a lot of
people joking about those valuations and many (most?) consider them completely
unreasonable. Either they are wrong (quite possible) or there are naive
investors in every case (quite possible as well) or there is some other
explanation (out of which fraud is natural one to consider as it would make
investment based on ridiculous valuation rational).

You may be on opinion that the valuations are clearly not ridiculous and
that's fine but imo you can't rationally claim that valuation is ridiculous
and fraud is not serious possibility.

------
wambotron
I have no idea what Yo is. Can someone explain it to me? (I'm a windows phone
user, there is no Yo app)

~~~
minimaxir
You send "Yo" to your friends.

That is the app.

------
rrss1122
Joke's over.

------
Thel_is
This reminds me of the Flappy Bird says!

------
mananvaghasiya
WTF YO

