HTC's Bad PR Move; Forces HTCRUU.com Owner to Shut Down & Hand Over ROMs & Domain

[dgstorm]

At a time when the company is already struggling to come back from a very tough year of getting hammered by their competition, HTC decides to shoot itself in the foot with a PR disaster. Apparently, a legal representative from HTC contacted the owner of HTCRUU.com claiming they were infringing on their copyrights and trademarks, and for the unauthorized hosting of HTC software. HTC then coerced the owner into taking down the site, giving up all of the files (including user-created custom ROMs), and giving up the domain name.

While it is very likely much of HTC's claims were true about copyright and trademark infringement, this is a huge slap in the face to the developer community for HTC devices, and will likely permanently damage that relationship. They could have handled things differently by asking the site owner to clean up the infringing use of logos and clearing out the unlicensed HTC software from the hosting service. Instead, they gave him an ultimatum, and, of course, as a poor developer, he doesn't have the time and money to fight HTC's legal team in court. Thus, he had no recourse but to comply.

Although modders, devs, tweakers and themers are likely a small hardcore subset of fans for mobile devices, and likely make up a fraction of total customers for HTC, the poor word-of-mouth repercussions of this action could be far reaching in a way that HTC hadn't thought through completely. What's really odd is that in the past, for the most part, HTC has left the devs alone and allowed a thriving community to develop. To suddenly smack your best fans in the face like this doesn't make sense, and will likely not have a good outcome. In any circumstance this seems like a bad move for the company, and is doubly bad timing for them. How does this affect your persepctive of HTC?

There are more links and details at the source link below if you want to follow the ensuing drama more closely.

Source: Android Police

[dezymond]

I don't think HTC realizes the backlash of this move. After promising changes for the better earlier this month this is definitely not the right step in that direction.

they think their sales numbers are falling off now, can't wait to see their numbers after this news

[zomnomnombie]

HTC wanted free creative material from the ROMs they had to hand over. They have finally realized that Sense is ugly. Too late for them though.

[johnomaz]

Will it really mkae a difference though? I mean, the percent of users that even knew about htcruu.com is very small compared to how many phones they sell. There just aren't as many people as we all would like that even knows what a ROM is. My sister had no idea what AOSP Android was. I put CM10 on my nieces Galaxy S2 Skyrocket and she thought I put something totally different than Android on her phone. I had to explain what the difference was and even then she still didn't get it. That and she was pissed that her daughter suddenly had a better phone than her iPhone 4S in terms of speed and what not. The Skyrocket was such a slow ass phone before I put some AOSP on it.

[pc747]

The op says is best "quietly tanking".

Remember a few years ago when a motorola rep made a comment on youtube to a person asking about unlocking the bootloader. Motorola was still making money and had the hype of the fans. Yeah the hacking community make up the smallest but also make up the loudest and the hype wagon. I like the approach samsung made. They allowed the phone to be unlockable but made a device that was smooth and had all the features you would want in android so that you wouldn't mind running it stock. In fact I prefer stock (rooted) over a rom. Oems need to spend more worrying about putting out the best hardware/software and less time trying to lock it down. Most rom because we find the software put out by the oem to be lacking hence why some turn to aosp or other roms.

[azdrifter]

It is true that the majority of Mobile phone users have no Clue to what an RUU is or even a Rom is. This action by HTC does not help them with going forward with the future of mobile phone technology. Every mobile phone manufacturer understands that developing a good relationship with the users that like to root and Rom their phones is crucial to their future development How many ideas have come from a Dev on a site like this that has been implemented on a newer phone or an updated version and a fix. It just doesn't make any sense to make a move like this when the HTC future is so sketchy and Sense 5.0 to me looks very generic.

[pc747]

Maybe htc is aiming to be the kid who don't care. You know the kid that during the test realized he partied all night and is not prepared so he says forget it and scribbles and make stick figures on the answer key and turns it in. When i see phones like the dna that had potential and yet fail because it lacks a few simple things like a bigger battery and external storage its like the htc engineers just said forget it. When you see sense 5 it looks like the htc software engineers just said forget it. I mean if they dont care why should I.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

[mtnbkrbob]

well like it says HTC is tanking and whats the best way to get free software? take it from the devs that are creating the best roms for your devices.
HTC is probably thinking that they will take all that they got from HTCRUU and sift through the stuff then cherry pick the best stuff then compile a rom out of it then slap it in their new flagship device and call it theirs. and hopefully that will save them?? umm i think not. dirtbag move from a company on its last legg.

[jroc]

Well....with HTC making the first Android phone, the first actual Android dev phones...the first Nexus.....this is a very, very strange move... Seems like Moto isnt alone with bad moves with the root, ROM community. Oh well...

[liftedplane]

The op says is best "quietly tanking".

Remember a few years ago when a motorola rep made a comment on youtube to a person asking about unlocking the bootloader. Motorola was still making money and had the hype of the fans. Yeah the hacking community make up the smallest but also make up the loudest and the hype wagon. I like the approach samsung made. They allowed the phone to be unlockable but made a device that was smooth and had all the features you would want in android so that you wouldn't mind running it stock. In fact I prefer stock (rooted) over a rom. Oems need to spend more worrying about putting out the best hardware/software and less time trying to lock it down. Most rom because we find the software put out by the oem to be lacking hence why some turn to aosp or other roms.

we are not only the loudest but when friends and family need help they often come to those of us who know our.... well you know

I have countless friends and family who ask me what the newest and best is and whether I think they should update or buy such and such. that's why we may be small, but those of us here can do some serious damage with word of mouth.