Member Avatar for Saboor880

Hello to all members! This post is not about programming, it is related to rights of digital content. I am posting here after searching on internet. Sorry in advance, but please guide me, I am in lot of confusion and frustration due to this.

Actually I have made an simple android app which just redirects its users to their favorite brands' websites or online stores. I just downloaded free images of famous brands and added them in my app. When any user clicks on his favorite brand's image, app redirects the user to webiste or online store of that brand.
The advantage of this app is that user would not need to search his favorite brand's website using browser, rather he can open my app and click on his favorit brand's image and will be redirected to official website or online store of his favorite brand.
It means I am not affiliated with any brand and I am not claiming that these brands logos are mine or I am the designer or owner of any brand , logo or website.

After making this app when I submitted this app on amazon app store then they rejected my app submission saying that your app has famous brand images, firs you must provide us copyright permission of these images in written form, then we will publish your app.

Then I argued that I am conducting a fair use of these images and not claiming ownership of any brand and logo. But they said that we require a copyright permission from all the brands

Now my question is that How can i get copyright permission from the brands , because it is very very time taking procedure to get copyright permission from all the brands' owners separately.

Secondly please guide me , may i use modified logos images instead of original images ?

I am providing screen shots of my app promo image, icon image and screen shots of my app. Please guide me how can i get rid of this problem?

promoimage.PNG 162.01 KB icon2.PNG 11.11 KB cloth.png 344.12 KB food.png 424.39 KB
  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 416 Views
  • 1 Hour Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by pty

Dani AI

Generated

Short practical summary and next steps: app stores treat logos and brand art as third‑party intellectual property, and platform reviewers will ask for written permission rather than accept a disclaimer. Amazon’s Appstore policy and Google Play rules both require that you hold the rights to copyrighted or trademarked content used in an app or its metadata. (developer.amazon.com)

Concrete options (what works in practice)

  • Remove embedded logos from your APK and show a plain text list or generic icons; link each item to the brand website. This avoids bundling third‑party artwork inside the binary.
  • Use official “badges” or brand assets only when the brand publishes them and you follow its exact usage rules (many companies explicitly forbid altering badges or logos). ’s idea to fetch images at runtime reduces bundled files but does not remove the store/legal responsibility to have rights; dynamic fetching can still trigger a rejection if you lack permission. (apple.com)

A short, practical workflow to get an app accepted

  1. Inventory every logo/image and remove any that you cannot immediately document.
  2. Prepare a single permission request template (purpose, store targets, screenshots/mockups, distribution area, duration, contact). Send that to each brand’s press/brand/permissions contact (often listed under “brand resources” or “media resources”).
  3. If a brand grants written permission, save the email/license and attach it to your store submission or appeal. If you cannot get permission, replace the logo with text or an approved badge, or add real app value (search/filter, saved favorites, notifications) so it is not just a link aggregator. Guidance on documenting and requesting permission can help streamline this. (legalclarity.org)

Legal caution and a reality check
“Nominative fair use” sometimes lets you refer to a trademark to identify the product, but it is a legal defense — not a guaranteed safe harbor — and it does not stop stores from rejecting your app or brands from enforcing rights. If the app is commercial or you plan wide distribution, get a lawyer’s opinion before relying on fair‑use arguments. ’s warning about legal risk is correct in principle. (inta.org)

Summary: remove or replace logos until you have written brand permission, or rework the app so it’s more than a passive link list; keep documented permission ready when you resubmit.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for rproffitt

You seem to want to debate the various app store rules. I think you can do that but won't make any progress. Too bad you didn't make the app dynamic in the image retrieval. Ad supported apps don't put the brand logos in your app. So if you had put in code to show a list of web sites and fetched the logo from the web to show alongside your text, it might have got past the review since your app didn't use copyrighted or trademarked images that were embedded in your app.

Member Avatar for pty

Do you want to get sued? Because this is how you get sued.

What value is there in an app that redirects me to a website? What value to me, them (the brands), and you?

As far as I can see, there's none.

commented: "Do you want ants? Because that's how you get ants" - Malory Archer +15
Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.