Hottrix, the developers of several tricks and games for the iPhone and iPod Touch is suing Coors for $12.5 million. The reason for issuing the lawsuit is that Coors allegedly copyied Hottrix $3 beer-drinking application that allows users to virtually drink a pint by tilting their iPhone.

Both applications resemble a pint on your iPhone that is being emptied by tilting the iPhone 90 degrees. The big difference between both apps in the app store is that iBeer costs 3$ and iPint was free. Also both apps where released at the same time in the app store (11th of July).

An attorney for the law firm representing Hottrix, Buchalter Nemer, said the smaller company attempted to reach an amicable solution with Coors, without success. Hottrix then complained to Apple, which eventually removed iPint from the App Store in the United States. However, iPint still appears in the App Store in other countries.

“My client … is really a mom-and-pop company who just wants to protect their intellectual property rights,” said Jason Fisher, the attorney representing Hottrix.

When iPint appeared in the App Store, it quickly climbed into the top 10 most downloaded free applications — essentially hurting iBeer’s sales, Fisher said. After Apple removed iPint, iBeer made it onto the App Store’s top 25 most popular paid applications list. It currently sits at No. 22 on that list.

Fisher said that a video demonstrating the accelerometer technique of iBeer appeared on YouTube in August 2007 — even before iPhone’s App Store launched — which may be how Coors latched onto the idea.

SourceiBeer Direct iTunes link.

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\\ tags: calring, hottrix, ibeer, ipint