There was a lot of speculation around what Apple's no-questions-asked return policy would mean for developers and other content creators after it was put into place in the EU last month, and now we finally have an answer: it probably won't mean all that much, as Apple won't let customers abuse it. It appears that if Apple detects too many refunds being made within a short period of time, it'll cut off the ability for an account to return digital purchases. Presumably, refunds may still be made at Apple's discretion — as they are elsewhere in the world — but the ability to get a refund anytime you want won't be possible.

Apple implemented the policy to bring its digital stores, including the iTunes, iBook, and App Stores, in line with a recent EU directive protecting online purchases. Apple has the option to remove the no-questions-asked policy that the directive requires: all it has to do is present buyers with a message that, upon downloading their purchase, they will no longer be able to make a refund. But instead of presenting that message to everyone, Apple is keeping the relaxed policy and will only present a message like this if it detects abuse. iDownloadBlog brought this to attention yesterday, pointing out that Apple presents a pop-up message to potential abusers that bars automatic refunds. It's not clear exactly what a customer needs to do to cross the line, however.

This appears to be a sensible policy — letting most customers make convenient returns while still protecting content makers. After the policy was first implemented, there was concern that customers would take advantage of it as a way to "trial" entire games, movies, and other downloads without paying for them. The return policy remains in place for two weeks, so it is possible to spend quite a bit of time with a download before having it refunded. This is, of course, something that isn't impossible with physical purchases either, but it's a new issue for digital stores to consider. EU rules are fairly protective of consumers, but Apple seems to have found a nice balance to protect sellers, too.