Guideline 5.2.1 - Legal - Intellectual Property

Question

takmasakal OP

Created Apr ’24

Replies 2

Boosts 0

Participants 3

Hi

I wrote an app to control my garage door and the light inside the garage using ESP8266.

Apple has rejected my app regaridng Guideline 5.2.1 - Legal - Intellectual Property, i couldn't get enough information from the app reviewer whether i should apply a patent for my app to show it's mine or get a letter from the ESP8266 manufacturer that i can use their product with my app.

The warning below to me.

Your app includes content or features from GarFi, or is marketed to control external hardware from GarFi, without the necessary authorization. The inclusion of third-party content within your app, whether retrieved from the internet by the app or embedded in the app, is subject to the terms of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement.

Your app and its contents should not infringe upon the rights of another party. In the event your app infringes another party’s rights, you are responsible for any liability to Apple because of a claim.

Next Steps

To resolve this issue, please attach documentary evidence in the App Review Information section in App Store Connect. Once we have reviewed your documentation and confirmed its validity, we will proceed with the review of your app.

Alternatively, please remove the third-party content from your app and its metadata.

can anyone help me on this ?

Thanks in advance

Erinç

Boost

Answer 1

Claude31 OP

Apr ’24

A patent would not solve (and if there is a copyright issue, you would not logically get it).

What I would do in such a case:

either find information from Espressif Systems that the use of their product is free, and provide this information to reviewer
or ask to Espressif Systems for a letter that authorises you to use in an app published on Appstore.

Good luck.

0

Answer 2

endecotp OP

Apr ’24

Your app includes content or features from GarFi, or is marketed to control external hardware from GarFi, without the necessary authorization.

I recall a similar post in the past but I can’t find it now when I search.

My recollection is that there is a particularly litigious manufacturer of garage door opener hardware who doesn’t want 3rd-party apps that can operate their doors, because their own app plays adverts to their victims while they wait for the door to open, and they miss out on that income if they use a 3rd-party app.

I suspect that the app review bot is configured to automatically reject all apps that claim to be garage door openers.

Does your app literally only work with your hardware, or is it compatible with hardware from others? If it only works with your hardware, and you can prove that, you may be able to get this resolved if you can contact an app review human. (But then they might say that it is not sufficiently useful to be on the app store.) If it does work with garage door hardware from other manufacturers, I suspect you have little chance of it getting approved.

0