The entire family of devices built on the iPhone OS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) were designed to run only the software that is approved by Apple which is in fact a major change from the personal computer market rules… Software developers who want approval to Apple iPhone Developer Agreement First Program License Agreement. So today we are posting the "iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, each contract for the software developer who writes the iTunes App Store has to" sign ".
Although more than 100,000 app developers have clicked" I agree, "children are limited public agreement, probably due to the prohibition of making any public statements about this Agreement, and terms conditions, or between the parties, without Apple's approval. In the case of the NASA App for the iPhone, It was used the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for a copy of NASA so that the general public could see what rules could be used with their phones. NASA responded with Rev. March 17, 2009 version of the agreement.
This "License Agreement" is particularly relevant now, given the imminent launch of the iPad release anytime now in the U.S. Copyright Office ruling regarding jailbreaking the iPhone. Here are some exciting highlights:
- Money on public statements: As mentioned above, Section 10.4 prohibits developers, including government agencies like NASA, from making any "public statements" about the conditions. This is particularly strange, because the agreement itself is not "Apple Confidential Information" as defined in Section 10.1Deci, terms are confidential, but the developers are prohibited by contract from the point of view "public" about them.
- App Store Only: Section 7.2 makes clear that any applications developed using Apple's SDK may be distributed only to the public through the App Store and that Apple may reject an application for any reason, even if it meets all formal requirements disclosed by Apple. So, if you use the SDK and your application is rejected by Apple, you are prohibited from distributing it through the Cydia app stores competing phone or Rock.
- In general, the agreement is a very one-sided contract favoring Apple at every turn. This is not unusual for the end user license agreements are concerned (and not all terms may be ultimately enforceable), but it is a bit of a surprise that it applies to more than 100,000 iPhone developers, including many large public companies. How can Apple get away with it? Because it is only the gateway to more than 40 million iPhones have been sold .. In other words, just because Apple is still "owns" the customer, long after every iPhone (and soon, iPad) is sold that is able to push these contractual arrangements on the whole universe of software developers for the platform.
All in all, no competition between the app store does not mean competition for the license terms that apply to iPhone developers. If Apple is the future of mobile computing, you can expect to be a future with more limits on innovation and competition (or "generativity" in the words of Prof. Jonathan Zittrain) than it was before the PC sites came. It's frustrating to see Apple, the original pioneer generative computing, putting handcuffs on the market (for now) drive. If Apple wants to be a true leader should be to promote innovation and competition, rather than as a feudal lord would be jealous and arbitrary. Developers should seek better conditions and who love their iPhone customers should return.