What constitutes a copy cat?

To note this is not a complaint. We just want to get it right and not run into similar issues in the future.

Anecdotes and opinions, which are all you can hope for here, are not a promise of how 'to get it right'. Only App Reviews knows what they will accept/reject and why.

The only sure way to avoid your example is to lean heavily on your own creativity and imagination, creating an app that breaks new ground while showcasing the platform.

'Too close' is really a question that is defined by complex copyright law. But App Review will be more or less sensitive to this issue if the other image is well known or owned by someone who has a history of asserting their copyright rights regarding this or other images. ----- You are free to pursue two avenues; change the image so it does not have 'some similarities' or respond to App Review with clear reference to being outside the limits of copyright infringement. The first is a better avenue since you agree there are similarities. ---- Regarding other users, tell app review it's not fair - that works for my grandson.

Actually too close even in copy write law is a decision that is made by those that persue interest and those that decide on case law and is not really that complex. I understand that if someone has a problem with something that I create because it infringes on their protected idea they have the option and the right to ask me to stop as well as make me do so. My question is still what dictates how Apple makes this decision. Using two real games as an example. Their titles are basically the same, one actually uses the title of the other in its title, same background, same characters, same gameplay etc. This is allowed, how? We don't want to use others idea and didn't think that we had but Apple did. So as we are not your grandson and are trying to improve ourselves by finding the answers in a forum that is designed to help us, what do we need to do differently as some are allowed to outright copy others and somethings seem to be if its close its wrong? Is that the real answer, steer clear of the big dollar brands becasue no one actually cares if you copy people just not the rich popular ones? or is there a better answer?

>My question is still what dictates how Apple makes this decision.

App Review is a black box. Welcome to the App Store.

And again, as much as anyone here may attempt to help you navigate...no one here knows, so looking for clarity on this topic here may only increase your frustration, I think. That doesn't mean no one would like to help, but on this topic we're all in the same boat as you.

I will tell you, tho, that (a) Apple undoubtedly protects it high value clients and (b) once an app is flagged like that, it's that much tougher to get things going the other direction.

Good luck.

Ken

Oh, poor you, having to go through that ordeal. It’s absolutely ridiculous that developers are engaging in plagiarism left and right and trying to pass it off as their own work without being fined by the FTC or sued by the original developer. Never mind that 3/4 of game developers are also using fraudulent advertisements because they know nobody is going to download a game that’s been slightly changed by 99,000 cheap, greedy developers. Again, the FTC REALLY needs to get involved in the mobile gaming industry.

How do we get Apple to ban developers who plagiarize other developers games with only very slight changes and send reports to the FTC about developers using fraudulent advertisements? I think the answer to that is a hell of a lot more important than “Gee, where did the fake reviews my friends left go?”