Apple came out in support of its developer community, following a number of lawsuits related to in-app purchasing filed by patent licensing firm Lodsys. According to a letter from Apple to Lodsys, which was reproduced by paidContent.org, Bruce Sewell, SVP and General Counsel of Apple, argues that “Apple is undisputedly licensed to these patents and the Apple App Makers are protected by that license. There is no basis for Lodsys’ infringement allegations against Apple’s App Makers.” Lodsys previously said that Apple’s licence “does NOT enable them to provide “pixie dust” to bless another (3rd party) business applications.”

In the letter, Sewell notes that: “These licensed products and services enable Apple’s App Makers to communicate with end users through the use of Apple’s own licensed hardware, software, APIs, memory, servers, and interfaces, including Apple’s App Store. Because Apple is licensed under Lodsys’ patents to offer such technology to its App Makers, the App Makers are entitled to use this technology free from any infringement claims by Lodsys.”

According to earlier reports, Lodsys owns four patents which it acquired in 2004, related to in-app purchasing, interactive online ads, online help and subscription renewals. The company is looking for a royalty to be paid by developers on individual transactions. While it has not so far taken to the courts, Lodsys said that Google and Microsoft have the same type of license to Apple – which could mean it will subsequently turn its focus to Android and Windows Phone app developers.