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Court Outlaws German Weather Service's Free Weather App

posted by martyb on Saturday March 14 2020, @01:34AM   Printer-friendly
from the monetizing-taxpayer-funded dept.

DannyB writes:

Court outlaws German Weather Service's free weather app

WetterOnline has won its case against Germany's national weather service. The company sued the service over the anti-competitive nature of its free weather forecast app.

The German Weather Service (DWD) will no longer be allowed to provide general weather forecasts in a free mobile phone app after a federal court ruled in favor of a private firm on Thursday.

[...] the national meteorological service will only be permitted to offer extreme weather warnings for free and that a DWD app offering general weather forecasts must contain advertisements or be purchased by users.

<sarcasm>
No national weather service could ever make a profit by giving away weather information for free.
</sarcasm>

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by SomeGuy on Saturday March 14 2020, @01:54AM (7 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Saturday March 14 2020, @01:54AM (#970967)

    Don't forget to download our FREE Weather App/Malware and... oh shit.

    Every time you see the news assholes hocking their "free" apps, you should ask yourself "what is the catch?" Advertising, tracking, collecting personal data, are literally standard operating procedure these days. In this case, it is downright mandatory.

    Thanks, but I'll just stick my head out the window instead.

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by fustakrakich on Saturday March 14 2020, @02:14AM (4 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Saturday March 14 2020, @02:14AM (#970976) Journal

    I'll just stick my head out the window instead.

    Not recommended while riding the subway

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by Kitsune008 on Saturday March 14 2020, @02:24AM (3 children)

      by Kitsune008 (9054) on Saturday March 14 2020, @02:24AM (#970983)

      What's the weather usually like on the subway?
      Inquiring minds want to know. ;-)

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @03:12AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @03:12AM (#971003)

        Dark.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @03:28AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @03:28AM (#971012)

        I'm not a fan of the naked animosity that has crept in here.

        Please don't let violence creep into your hearts, even simple jokes can open the door. /soapbox

      • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday March 14 2020, @05:21AM

        by MostCynical (2589) on Saturday March 14 2020, @05:21AM (#971049) Journal

        Apparently, chances of blood and patches of gore..

        --
        "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

  • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by driverless on Saturday March 14 2020, @04:42AM (1 child)

    by driverless (4770) on Saturday March 14 2020, @04:42AM (#971035)

    Thanks, but I'll just stick my head out the window instead.

    I'll stick my head in the sand instead. Works a treat for dealing with coronavirus, as the Great Leader has demonstrated.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @02:59PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 14 2020, @02:59PM (#971206)

      Going to the footy then?