A Mad Magazine artist draws 540 caricatures for an iPhone app with info about the members of Congress.

Like this:

And Apple rejects it, saying:

Thank you for submitting Bobble Rep – 111th Congress Edition to the App Store. We’ve reviewed Bobble Rep – 111th Congress Edition and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains content that ridicules public figures and is in violation of Section  3.3.14 from the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement which states:

“Applications may be rejected if they contain content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, sounds, etc.) that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory.”...

Ridicules public figures?! What is wrong with Apple? The artist, Tom Richmond, says:

This is truly ridiculous. These caricatures aren’t mean or very exaggerated. They are simple, fun cartoon likenesses of the politicians and the purpose of the app is a informational database. There is no editorial commentary involved at all.

This is the very reason that Apple as a company should be taken to task over its ludicrous and inconsistent app approval policies. Clearly this app does not “ridicule public figures” and is violating nothing, but Apple has decided the world must be protected from the insidious subversiveness this would force upon the public and the brutal, heinous ridicule that my cruel, cruel caricatures would subject these politicians to.

Well, I would have defended him even if the caricatures were cruel, so this is simply absurd.

On the up side, I'm sure Apple will reverse on this one, and Richmond is getting some great publicity, including this little contribution of mine, which I am happy to give.

(Link via Don Reisinger.)