Apple · Apple App Store Review Guidelines · View original document ↗

Intellectual Property and App Originality Requirement

Medium severity Unique · 0 of 343 platforms
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This analysis describes what Apple's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The clause establishes Apple's baseline requirements for app eligibility by conditioning App Store distribution on developer ownership or authorization of all intellectual property elements, which creates an initial compliance gate for submission review.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Jun 9, 2026

The updated guidelines state that developers must ensure kids receive age-appropriate experiences within their apps and must remove user-generated content that violates the guidelines, terms of service, or community standards. Under the revised policy, if Apple identifies policy-violating content, the developer will be asked to remove it and provide a compliance improvement plan. Based on the developer's response, the app may be removed from the App Store until compliance is demonstrated. This establishes a formal escalation pathway where developer inaction or inadequate remediation can result in app suspension or removal.

View change record →

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
3
Months Monitored
Apr 28, 2026
First Seen
Apr 28, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 165 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Developers must warrant originality and secure rights to all third-party intellectual property before submission; failure to obtain necessary rights places the developer in breach of the representation, which Apple can enforce through app rejection, removal, or account suspension.

How other platforms handle this

Threads Medium

You own the content you create and share on Threads and the other Meta Products... However, when you share or post content, you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to host, use, distribute, modify, run, copy, publicly perform or display, translate, ...

Upwork Medium

By posting or uploading Content to the Site, you grant Upwork a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, and sublicensable right and license to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display, and distribute such Content in any and all me...

AI21 Labs Medium

As between you and AI21, you retain ownership of your inputs. AI21 assigns to you all of AI21's right, title, and interest in and to the outputs generated in response to your inputs, subject to your compliance with these Terms and applicable law. However, due to the nature of AI, outputs may not be ...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make something original. Submitting an app constitutes a representation and warranty that you have all necessary rights to distribute the app, including the rights to use third-party software, trademarks, or intellectual property.

— Excerpt from Apple's Apple App Store Review Guidelines

Applicable regulations

DMCA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Apple App Store Review Guidelines
Entity
Apple
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 28, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-003888
Document ID
CA-D-00025
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
307db15d06f03003277f88a1476a1308e92cc7cba75906b4fac341d1054f5040
Analysis generated
April 28, 2026 08:36 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Apple
Document: Apple App Store Review Guidelines
Record ID: CA-P-003888
Captured: 2026-04-28 08:36:55 UTC
SHA-256: 307db15d06f03003…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/apple/apple-app-store-review-guidelines/intellectual-property-and-app-originality-requirement/
Accessed: June 21, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Apple's Intellectual Property and App Originality Requirement clause do?

The clause establishes Apple's baseline requirements for app eligibility by conditioning App Store distribution on developer ownership or authorization of all intellectual property elements, which creates an initial compliance gate for submission review.

How does this clause affect you?

Developers must warrant originality and secure rights to all third-party intellectual property before submission; failure to obtain necessary rights places the developer in breach of the representation, which Apple can enforce through app rejection, removal, or account suspension.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Apple?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple.