Google, Apple Drive ‘Black Box’ IP Policing with App Store Rules

Apple Inc. and Google LLC app stores have drawn the ire of small app developers who accuse the tech giants of harming their businesses through opaque IP rules and takedown procedures, combined with their sweeping market power.

The App Store and Google Play allow companies to submit complaints of intellectual property violations, after which the platforms can remove apps at their sole discretion, with little recourse for the accused developers. Because of their market dominance, the plaintiffs say, removal from those stores could effectively put their companies out of business.

These private dispute resolution systems lock app store participants into ...