1page.title=Intellectual Property 2@jd:body 3 4<div id="qv-wrapper"> 5<div id="qv"> 6 <h2>In This Document</h2> 7 <ol> 8 <li><a href="#copyright">Copyright Infringement</a></li> 9 <li><a href="#impersonation">Impersonation</a></li> 10 <li><a href="#trademarks">Trademark Infringement</a></li> 11 <li><a href="#other">DDA 4.4 Prohibited Actions</a></li> 12 </ol> 13 14 <h2>More Resources</h2> 15 <ol> 16 <li><a href="http://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy.html" 17 target="_policies">Developer Program Policies</a></li> 18 <li><a href="http://www.android.com/us/developer-distribution-agreement.html#showlanguages" 19 target="_policies">Developer Distribution Agreement</a></li> 20 </ol> 21</div> 22</div> 23 24<p> 25 Google Play policies protect your intellectual property (IP) as well as that 26 of other app developers and content creators in the store. The policies and 27 their enforcements help ensure proper use of copyright, trademarks, and 28 developer identity in Google Play. 29</p> 30 31<p> 32 As an app developer, these IP policies benefit you. At the same time, it's 33 your responsibility to ensure that your app does not violate the IP of other 34 developers or content creators. Violations of IP-related policy may result in 35 suspension of your apps from the store and termination of your developer 36 account. 37</p> 38 39<p> 40 This document introduces several key areas of IP-related policy that you 41 should understand before publishing on Google Play. In each area you'll find 42 best practices and examples to help you avoid common types of mistakes and 43 violations. 44</p> 45 46<p> 47 For more information about Google Play policies that apply to your apps and 48 content, please see the <a href= 49 "http://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy.html" target= 50 "_policies">Developer Program Policies</a> and <a href= 51 "http://play.google.com/about/developer-distribution-agreement.html" target= 52 "_policies">Developer Distribution Agreement</a>. 53</p> 54 55 56 57<h2 id="copyright">Copyright Infringement</h2> 58 59<p> 60 Copyright is the legal right granted to an author or creator for a literary, 61 dramatic or artistic piece of work. As soon as you create an original piece 62 of work and fix it in a tangible medium, the work is automatically protected 63 by copyright law and you are the owner of the copyright. Likewise, when other 64 people create content, they may own the copyrights for those works. 65</p> 66 67 68<div class="sidebox-wrapper"> 69<div class="sidebox"> 70<h2>How to report infringements</h2> 71<p>If you feel your copyright is being infringed, you may file a Digital Millenium 72 Copyright Act (DMCA) request. Please see <a 73 href="http://support.google.com/bin/request.py?&product=androidmarket&contact_type=lr_dmca" 74 target="_policies">copyright procedures</a> for more information.</p> 75</div> 76</div> 77 78<p> 79 Copyright infringement is an improper or unauthorized use of a copyrighted 80 work. If you publish an app in Google Play that uses another party's copyrighted 81 works improperly or without permission, your apps can be suspended and your 82 developer account terminated. 83</p> 84 85<p> 86 As you design your app and prepare for publishing, make sure to review Google 87 Play policies and analyze all of your content. If your app uses or links to 88 another party's original work, make sure that your app is not infringing on 89 copyright. Not all uses of another party’s work are infringements on 90 copyright, and the rules vary by country and can be complex. 91</p> 92 93<p> 94 If you are unsure whether your use of another party's work infringes on a 95 copyright, consider getting legal advice before publishing, or simply request 96 permission to use the work from the copyright owner. 97</p> 98 99<p> 100 Here are some guidelines to help you avoid copyright infringement policy 101 violations: 102</p> 103 104<ul> 105 <li> 106 <strong>Respect copyright laws</strong>—Do not let your app infringe 107 on the copyrights of others. That includes linking to other apps or web 108 sites that contain obviously infringing material (please refer to the <a href=" 109 {@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/policies/spam.html#webview-spam">Spam in WebViews</a> guidelines), and using icons or images that are obvious infringements. 110 </li> 111 112 <li> 113 <strong>Know your app's content</strong>—Before you publish, look 114 for content that may be protected by trademark or copyright in your app 115 and get legal advice if necessary. Protected work could typically include 116 product names, brands, images, music, and similar works. 117 </li> 118 119 <li> 120 <strong>Create original work</strong>—If you’re not sure whether 121 something will violate another party's copyright, the safest approach is to 122 create something that's completely original, such as images or audio 123 that you’ve created yourself. When you create your own original content, 124 you rarely have to worry about infringing on existing copyright. 125 </li> 126 127 <li> 128 <strong>Ask permission to use copyrighted work</strong>—If you want 129 to use another party's copyrighted work in your app, you should ask for 130 permission from the work's creator or copyright owner and include 131 appropriate copyright attribution. 132 </li> 133</ul> 134 135<p> 136 A common misunderstanding is believing that your app may use copyrighted 137 content without permission, provided that you clearly indicate that your app 138 is not the "official" app that readers may be familiar with. That is not the 139 case. Even if you let users know that your app is "unofficial", it still 140 violates Google Play policies if it uses or links to copyrighted content 141 without permission. Also, this type of "unofficial" app may violate <a 142 href="#impersonation">impersonation policies</a>. 143</p> 144 145<p> 146 The example app below shows an app that uses screenshots/images of known 147 artists without their authorization and lists popular songs. The combination 148 of these may induce users to download music ringtones that infringe on 149 copyright. This is a violation of Google Play policy. 150</p> 151 152<div class="example-block bad" style="width:100%;float:none;margin:.5em auto 2em 0;"> 153 <div class="heading">Images and downloads that violate copyright</div> 154 <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-policy-ip-copyright-violation.png"> 155</div> 156 157 158<h2 id="impersonation">Impersonation</h2> 159 160<p> 161 Impersonation is when an app attempts to imply a relationship to another app 162 or developer, where no relationship actually exists. 163</p> 164 165<p> 166 For example, if your app displays the brand, icon, or title from another app 167 in order to get to users to download your app, you are leading users to 168 believe that your app is developed by the same entity as the other app and 169 offers similar content or experience. This is an impersonation of the other 170 app and developer, and it is a violation of Google Play policy. If you 171 publish apps that violate impersonation policies, your apps can be suspended 172 and your developer account terminated. 173</p> 174 175<p> 176 No matter what type of app you offer or what your motivation, don’t try to 177 imply an endorsement or relationship to another company or product where none 178 exists. Don’t try to establish your app as the "official" version of another 179 party's work by prominently featuring their brand names or trademarks in your 180 app title or description. 181</p> 182 183<p> 184 Even if your app description states that your app is an "unofficial" version, 185 the use of the other app's branding, trademarks, and other content still can 186 violate policy by presenting content that isn’t yours. 187</p> 188 189<p> 190 Here are some guidelines: 191</p> 192 193<ul> 194 <li> 195 <strong>Don't pretend to be someone else</strong>— Don't represent 196 that your content is produced by another company or organization if that is 197 not the case. 198 </li> 199 200 <li> 201 <strong>Don't support infringing sites or apps</strong>— Don't divert 202 users or provide links to any other site that mimics Google Play or 203 represents itself as another application or service. 204 </li> 205 206 <li> 207 <strong>Don't use another app's branding</strong>— Don’t try to pass 208 off your app as the official version of someone else’s property by using a 209 person or entity (or brand) name in your app title or description. 210 </li> 211</ul> 212 213<p> 214 Below is an example of an "unofficial" app that violates Google Play policy 215 by impersonating another company and an existing product. Specifically: 216</p> 217 218<ul> 219 <li>The example app has a name and icon that appear to be impersonating an 220 existing product. 221 </li> 222 223 <li>The example developer name implies an endorsement or relationship to 224 another company and their products where none exists. 225 </li> 226</ul> 227 228<div class="example-block bad" style="width:100%;float:none;margin:.5em auto 2em 0;"> 229 <div class="heading">App name, icon, and developer name that impersonate another</div> 230 <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-policy-ip-impersonation-violation.png"> 231</div> 232 233 234<h2 id="trademarks">Trademark Infringement</h2> 235 236<p> 237 A trademark is a brand that uniquely identifies a product and distinguishes 238 it from other products. It can be a word, name, symbol, or combination of 239 those that is intended to identify the source of the product. A trademark is 240 specifically acquired by a company or other entity through a legal process 241 and once acquired gives the owner exclusive rights to the trademark usage. 242</p> 243 244<div class="sidebox-wrapper"> 245<div class="sidebox"> 246<h2>How to report infringements</h2> 247<p>If you feel your trademark is being infringed, you can request a content review. 248See <a href="http://support.google.com/bin/static.py?&ts=1114905&page=ts.cs" 249target="_policies">Removing content from Google</a> for more information.</p> 250</div> 251</div> 252 253<p> 254 Trademark infringement is improper or unauthorized use of a trademark. Google 255 Play policies prohibit apps that infringe trademarks. If you publish apps in 256 Google Play that use another party's trademarks, your apps can be suspended 257 and your developer account terminated. 258</p> 259 260<p> 261 As you design your app and prepare for publishing, make sure to review Google 262 Play policies and analyze all of your content. If your app uses a trademark 263 not owned by you, or if you are not sure whether a brand is a trademark, you 264 should get legal advice before publishing. As with copyright, the rules vary 265 by country and can be complex. 266</p> 267 268<p> 269 Here are some guidelines for avoiding trademark infringement policy 270 violations: 271</p> 272 273<ul> 274 <li> 275 <strong>Understand and follow trademark laws</strong>—Don't let your 276 app infringe on the trademarks of others. 277 </li> 278 279 <li> 280 <strong>Know your app's content</strong>—Before you publish, look for 281 brands and potential trademarks used in your app and store listing and get 282 legal advice if necessary. 283 </li> 284 285 <li> 286 <strong>Use a distinct name</strong>—Don't give your app a name that 287 is confusingly similar to another company's trademark. 288 </li> 289 290 <li> 291 <strong>Don't use trademarks to imply a relationship</strong>—Don't 292 describe your app using another company's trademarks in a way that implies 293 an endorsement by or affiliation with the other company. 294 </li> 295 296 <li> 297 <strong>Use a distinct app icon and logo</strong>—Don't use a 298 modified version of another company’s trademarked logo. 299 </li> 300</ul> 301 302<p> 303 A common misunderstanding is believing that your app may use a brand or 304 trademark without permission, provided you clearly indicate that the app is 305 not the "official" or original app. That is not the case. Even if you let 306 users know that your app is "unofficial", it still violates Google Play 307 policies if it uses another party's trademarks. Also, this type of 308 "unofficial" app may violate <a href="#impersonation">impersonation 309 policies</a>. 310</p> 311 312<p> 313 Below is an example app that violates Google Play policies by infringing on 314 another party's trademarks. Specifically: 315</p> 316 317<ul> 318 <li>The example app name is confusingly similar to another party's trademark.</li> 319 <li>The example app icon is a modified version of a another party's logo.</li> 320</ul> 321 322<div class="example-block bad" style="width:100%;float:none;margin:.5em auto 2em 0;"> 323 <div class="heading">App name and icon that infringe trademarks</div> 324 <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-policy-ip-trademark-violation.png"> 325</div> 326 327 328<h2 id="other">DDA 4.4 Prohibited Actions</h2> 329 330<p> 331 When you publish an app on Google Play, you agree to the terms of the 332 Developer Distribution Agreement (DDA). Section 4.4 of the DDA prohibits certain 333 types of actions on your part. For reference, you agree that you will not 334 engage in any activity with the Market, including the development or 335 distribution of Products, that interferes with, disrupts, damages, or 336 accesses in an unauthorized manner the devices, servers, networks, or other 337 properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, 338 Android users, Google or any mobile network operator. 339</p> 340 341<p> 342 For details, please refer to the complete <a href= 343 "http://play.google.com/about/developer-distribution-agreement.html" target= 344 "_policies">Developer Distribution Agreement</a>. 345</p>
