LotusAppStore launches to sell Lotus apps - my initial review
Tags :LotusAppStore Domino IBM
I received notice about this new app store for Lotus Notes from PDQ Information Systems that launched and went to take a look called LotusAppStore. As some of you know we investigated and launched into this some time ago, and well it does not float. Vendors did not have the capability to sell this way were not willing to do so. So this came as a surprise. Here is a screenshot of how LotusAppStore looks today with the first listings their own products (of course)
At PDQ Information systems we have been developing Lotus and Domino applications for over 20 years. As part of some work we recently did for client we added eCommerce capabilities to our CMS solution to allow for the sale of virtual goods (software, video access, etc.).
Since the Lotus community doesn't have an app store, we thought that this might be a good use for our new tool. It would give us an opportunity to keep enhancing it and it might be a way to showcase it.
The entire LotusAppStore site is done in Ajax (who says it has to be Domino or Lotus based right) and uses the PDQ Portal product that they write. Anyone can rate a product and PayPal is the means to to process payment.
Support comes directly from the product seller so I am not sure yet how PDQ gets a cut, if any. All the legal agreements is between you and LotusAppStore, which I am not sure is a legal entity or DBA name. That is not clear.
You are able to make a public profile, but I was a bit worried about this line in their legal agreement:
By entering your Public Information, you grant LotusAppStore an irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to publicly display, transmit, copy, use and/or remove your Public Information for any legal purpose and to modify your Public Information to prevent or discontinue any potential violation of the preceding sentence
They also state that they do not hold the licenses for the products nor warranty them, yet their Default EULA states otherwise:
DEFAULT EULA. "Default EULA" means the end user license agreement terms described in this paragraph. If you purchase a license to an item of Content or download a "free" item of Content using a LotusAppStore Service, you are granted a single license to use the item of Content on a mobile device or other computer that you own or control. You may not copy, distribute, transfer, modify, rent, lease, sell, decompile, reverse engineer or create derivative works based on the Content or any portion thereof without the express written consent of LotusAppStore or the owner of such Content
Interesting that their legal agreement says you must "opt-in" for mailings yet the registration says you are already going to get them unless you "opt-out"
There is an entire section on becoming a vendor which I might dig into later. I did note that they use Paypal but then it asks for PayPal for yourself in the vendor registration for monthly payments. It is stated that LotusAppStore may offer your product up to a 20% discount on their own volition.
They are also following the model of the Apple store by giving you 70% of Net Receipts and they keep the other 30% after taxes, fees and other stuff as listed in the agreement.
Revenue Sharing and Payments. For each item of Content licensed to Customers by LotusAppStore through Standard Channels, Content Provider shall earn 70% of Net Receipts.
In essence I presume this is another attempt but that is a very open agreement for anyone to enter into as buyer or vendor at this time.
blog comments powered by Disqus
On Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 by Chris Miller
