The popular App Store media player alternative, VLC, for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, may soon be gone from the store after a complaint filed against it by Videolan.

MacStories reports:

Basically, here’s the problem: VLC is an open source program distributed under the GNU General Public License (also known as “GPL”) while VLC for iOS is, as you may guess, distributed under Apple’s iTunes Terms and Conditions, which don’t allow users to install both free and paid apps on more than 5 devices. This restriction is also known as “DRM” which stands for Digital Rights Management. So even if VLC for iOS is free, Videolan can’t accept the fact that Apple’s DRM goes against the original GNU license VLC’s code is based on.

So what makes us think that VLC will soon be gone? Rémi Denis-Courmont reminds us that the same happened earlier this year with an iOS port of GNU Go, a chess game that’s distributed under GPL. The Free Software Foundation noticed a port was distributed under Apple’s DRM, but Apple didn’t change its Terms and Conditions. They simply went ahead and removed the app.

Denis-Courmont added:

“In any case, while the rules for distribution of open-source or “free” (as in speech) software are extremely relaxed, they do exist and have to be abode by. VLC and open-source software in general would not have reached their current quality and success if it had not been for their license. Therefore, blatant license violation cannot be tolerated at any rate. Concerned users are advised to look for application on more open mobile platforms for the time being.”

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