For a few days now Google has been blocking users of unlocked G1 from downloading for-pay applications from the Android market. Google says this is to prevent piracy but it has enraged some developers.

Apparently it was done to prevent anybody from using an unlocked phone from buying a for-pay application and then returning it within 24 hours to get a full refund from Google.  After the refund the user can then re-downloaded the application for free. This odd scenario can ocur because unlocked G1 phones give the user access to all the phone’s directories, including the “special,” usually off-limits directory where for-pay applications are stored.

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