“copycat”

I need to bring attention to a very suspicious copycat incident that suggests a potential metadata scraping issue. I submitted my original sports insights app, KickPick, for review on April 2nd, 2024. To my shock, I discovered a competitor app already live on the store with same app name and nearly identical app information (descriptions, metadata) and a very similar UI structure. Domain Registration: The infringing developer registered their website domain on the exact same day I submitted my app for review (April 2nd). This is not a coincidence; it points to automated monitoring or scraping of new submissions/metadata. Plagiarized Legal Assets: While the UI has some variations, they have copied my Privacy Policy and Terms of Service verbatim. These documents were custom-written for my specific project logic, yet they appear on their site with only the company name changed. App Information: The app descriptions and store metadata are almost identical to what I provided in my pending submission. It i

Title: Mistaken 4.3(a) “Spam/Copycat” Flag → 3.2(f) Termination — Seeking Guidance on Reinstatement Hi everyone, I’m an independent developer and I believe my account was escalated to termination because of a misunderstanding around Guideline 4.3(a) – Design – Spam and 4.1 – Design – Copycats. I want to explain the full timeline so I can get advice on how to present this correctly in the “Re-instate a terminated membership” request. 1. What I submitted I submitted an app called “Anime Jigsaw: Waifu Puzzles.” The idea was simple: it’s a jigsaw puzzle app, but I wanted to make it more relaxing by combining anime/waifu themed puzzle images with built-in lo‑fi music. So the concept I was aiming for was: puzzle + themed art + calming music, not just another generic jigsaw clone. 2. First rejection Apple rejected it under 4.3(a) – Design – Spam and also mentioned 4.1 – Copycats. The exact wording in App Store Connect said my app’s binary, metadata and/or concept was similar to apps that w

Hello, I run a small news site, and tried to publish my app to the store but they keep asking me: 4. 1 Design: Copycats ' you have not provided sufficient documentation to demonstrate that you are currently authorized by the rights holder to represent the products or services included in your app. ' i uploaded a well documented txt file ony my website also inside the resolution center. i clearly tell them im the owner of x site and x app belongs to it to fetch data and show it in the app. First they came with third party thing, now they telling me to proof i have ownership i told them how can i show you or tell you im the ownership because i dont think they readed the well documentated txt file inside my hosting url. i think they are taking my time because i use my individual developer account with my first and last name. i do not run a company just freelance posting news to my website, thats the reason why i created individual developer account with apple for publishing my own app. They asked me the

Recently, we received a rejection for our app on the App Store under Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats. We strongly disagree with this decision, as we are confident in the uniqueness of our project. We have submitted an appeal regarding this rejection, but so far, we have not received any confirmation that it has been reviewed or accepted for reconsideration. The explanation provided for the rejection was vague, offering only general statements and references without specific details. This makes it challenging for us to understand which aspects of our app are causing concerns. Here’s what we’ve done so far to address the feedback: Changed the Original Name: We renamed our app to emphasize its uniqueness and avoid any potential associations with other franchises. Removed the Character from Screenshots: We deleted the image from our screenshots to prevent any misunderstandings and to highlight the originality of our visual content. Replaced the Icon: We completely redesigned the app icon, creating a ne

Dear all, I published a new version of my football app yesterday and Apple rejected the app with the following message : Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats Your app or its metadata appears to contain misleading content. Specifically, your app includes content that resembles one or multiple third-party sports teams and/or leagues. Next Steps You may attach documentary evidence in the App Review Information section in App Store Connect. In accordance with section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, you acknowledge that submitting falsified or fraudulent documentation can result in the termination of your Apple Developer Program account and the removal of your apps from the App Store. Once Legal has reviewed your documentation and confirms its validity, we will proceed with the review of your app. Alternatively, please remove the third-party content from your app and its metadata. Checking similar threads on Internet, I understand that I need property rights of the football teams / l

I work for a company that provides services implementing, maintaining, and publishing systems for municipalities. We have now developed an app for a municipality, but when trying to publish it, Apple is rejecting it, stating that we cannot publish on behalf of another company. On the first submission, they rejected it with: Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats The app or its metadata appears to contain potentially misleading content. Specifically, the app includes content that resembles Sistema da Prefeitura without the necessary authorization. Next Steps Please demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in the app. We obtained a digitally signed document from the municipality stating that we are responsible for their systems, authorizing everything, etc... We made a new submission for review. However, it was now rejected with: Guideline 5.1.1 - Legal - Privacy - Data Collection and Storage The app must be published under a seller and company name that is associated with

Trabalho numa empresa que presta serviço implementando, mantendo e publicando sistemas para prefeituras. Fizemos agora um app para uma prefeitura mas na hora de publicar, a Apple está rejeitando pois diz que não podemos publicar em nome de outra empresa. No primeiro envio, rejeitaram com: Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats The app or its metadata appears to contain potentially misleading content. Specifically, the app includes content that resembles Sistema da Prefeitura without the necessary authorization. Next Steps Please demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in the app. Pegamos com a prefeitura um documento assinado digitalmente informando que somos os responsáveis pelos sistemas deles, autorizando tudo etc... Fizemos um novo envio para revisão. Porém, agora foi rejeitado com: Guideline 5.1.1 - Legal - Privacy - Data Collection and Storage The app must be published under a seller and company name that is associated with the organization or company providing th

I am writing to make a complaint about the fake activities of two app creators , which you should take a serious action against them. PDF Scanner & Editor + (https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/hq-tools/id1676624003) Good PDF Editor (https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/khelp-tim-tov/id1650247356) Previously, I had reported these two apps, (https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/718992 ) and now again. These two apps are using spamming strategies and tries to exploit App Store leaks on their marketing. 

 These two apps are exactly same as each other, and it has been creating by one creator, With Different name, But even the seller name has same pattern, Both has TOV expression at the end, It is obviously shown these two apps which are exactly same as each other, has one Creator. Seller: SKOL LTD, TOV Seller: KHELP TIM, TOV Recently Appstore took an action against a leak of the Appstore and those creators who used the word Good in the title of their App Event or name of the app, Now if you look at these

Our App, TaxFreeway 2017, is rejected by App Review with following reason:The seller and company names associated with your app do not reflect the name “TaxFreeway 2017” in the app or its metadata, as required by Guideline 5.2.1 of the App Store Review Guidelines.Next StepsYour app must be published under a seller name and company name that reflects the TaxFreeway 2017 name. If you have developed this app on behalf of a client, please advise your client to add you to the development team of their Apple Developer account....Based on our understanding, the message above indicates that our App must be named by our company name.Our product searial, TaxFreeway, is a Canadian T1 tax preparation software/App full owner by our company Entorpy Technology Ltd. Our have the same product serial one Windows, Mac and iPad since 2003. Plus, our iPad App serial (named the same as TaxFreeway) has been on sale on Apple App Store since 2009 as TaxFreeway 2009, TaxFreeway 2010, TaxFreeway 2011 etc. for last a few years and never

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from anyone who has dealt with an Apple Developer account “Pending Termination” notice. What happened Yesterday I received a Pending Termination notice for my Apple Developer account (not just a single app). This is a huge deal for me because it affects all apps under the account. The notice cites 3.2(f) and 5.6.2 (Developer Identity). It includes language like: Evidence of Dishonest or Fraudulent Activity You provided fraudulent and/or false account information, documentation, or otherwise falsely represented yourself or your submitted app to Apple either during the account enrollment process or after the account was created. What I discovered (my mistake) After the notice, I did a deeper self-audit and found something that looks bad and could be contributing: One of my apps has a supporting website built from an AI template that look like tea app, the app itself have original code. The Privacy Policy page on the website was empty, and the footer copyright name was wrong (

The discution :0} class=ng-scope style=-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 20px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(95, 95, 95);>From dev@barouch.fr (App Advisory)Hi,I don't have any news from you yet but I just noticed this (today) :Nanovation and Ketchapp just released games with Dancing Hotdog!I just try to understand: I'm a copycat for you, and not them?How is it possible?I just lose the possibility to have visibility, and I was right to try, because they do the same thing.Thanks a lot to review again my app.Best regards,ABInstagram.png_18__Facebook_Search.png0} class=ng-scope addLine style=-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; box-sizing: border-box; margin