BBC forces removal of unofficial app from Windows app stores
The BBC has forced the removal of a Windows app developed by one of its former employees after it was found to have broken the “terms of use”.
Lawrence Gripper, now a technical account manager at Microsoft, built the BBC News app for the Windows Phone and Windows 8 stores, describing it as a “labour of love”.
Since it was launched, the third-party app has seen over half a million downloads, bolstered by the fact the BBC doesn't have an official News app available for the Windows platform.
The BBC said in a statement to The Verge: “The BBC has clear terms of use that are designed to enable further distribution of BBC content and services in a way that is fair to all parties, and does not imply authorisation or endorsement by the BBC.
“These are available at www.bbc.co.uk/terms. In this case, the terms of use were unfortunately not met, and we have therefore asked for the app to be removed.”
Meanwhile, Gripper said in his personal blog: "It is with great sadness today that I removed both applications from the store."
It is unknown if the removal of the app is linked to the BBC developing its own official News app for Windows. Rumours of such a move have been circulating since it announced plans to support its iPlayer streaming service on Windows Phone.