Retro game emulator Delta, an app 10 years in the making, shot to the top of the App Store charts after Apple relaxed App Store guidelines to allow game emulators. But the increased attention also brought the threat of legal action. Adobe targeted Delta, whose logo closely resembles its own.
Delta's game emulator was built by developer Riley Testut. He began experimenting in this area by figuring out how to load games onto a graphing calculator before turning to iOS. The app itself evolved from his old Testut app GBA4iOS, which exploited a loophole that allowed him to run emulated games on his iOS without jailbreaking his iPhone. Consumer demand for apps like this is high, and millions of people were using GBA4iOS while it was available. But Apple eventually locked things down and put GBA4iOS out of business.
Now, as Apple faces regulatory pressure to open up its App Store to increased competition, the tech giant began allowing game emulators in April. This opens up a whole new market for developers who previously weren't able to take advantage of the huge distribution power that the App Store brings. In other words, Apple would rather host these apps itself than compete with alternative app stores, where consumers might find favor with previously banned apps.
Testut took the opportunity to make Delta publicly available and quickly became the number one app in the App Store, staying at the top of Apple's charts for several weeks and receiving millions of downloads. More than a month later, Delta still ranks pretty high in the U.S. App Store at his No. 33 spot among all apps. Meanwhile, the fifth slot is currently occupied by yet another game emulator, his PPSSPP (PSP Emulator).
However, being the top app on the App Store has its drawbacks. An under-the-radar app like GBA4iOS may have been ignored, but with Delta Air Lines' rise to number one, it's now in the spotlight.
According to a post on Mastodon, Adobe went after Delta and threatened legal action because it thought Delta's logo looked similar to its own.
“Adobe believes our logos are too similar and is threatening legal action, so we made the change,” the post said. “This new icon was inspired by Caroline Moore (@carolinemoore@threads.net). We hope you love it as much as we do.”
Image credit: Delta
Both logos featured a broken triangle, resembling the Greek letter delta. However, Adobe's logo is red and white, and its “A” is thick and extends to the edge of the app icon. The Delta logo is purple and white, small, and located in the center of the app icon. Of course, they operate in different spaces as well, as Adobe offers a suite of tools for creatives rather than a way to play retro games. There is no denying that there can be a lot of confusion among consumers as to which logo is which.
Delta Air Lines first received an email from Adobe's lawyers on Wednesday, May 7th, stating that the company's app icons violate Adobe's “A” logs and that they should be changed so that they do not violate “Adobe's rights or the law.” I told him that I requested him to do so.
Adobe gave Delta until May 17th to respond, but then received a second email from Apple asking Apple to remove the Delta app because Adobe infringed on its trademark. Stated. Delta Air Lines responded to both companies, explaining that the icon is a stylized version of the Greek letter Delta rather than an “A,” but that it would update the logo anyway.
Image credit: Delta
To avoid potential legal issues, Delta Airlines has unveiled a new logo that looks like a broken triangle. Unfortunately, the redesign isn't as simple or clean as before. As such, some users have suggested that they could have chosen a different route, such as using lowercase delta letters or creating custom artwork as a new brand.
Testut says the new app icon has a temporary logo, but plans to update it again once Delta 1.6 is released.
“…we plan to update the icon, also designed by Caroline, again to the 'final' version in the near future,” it said, adding, “We are not too concerned about the impact on the brand for the time being.”