Issue with 2.1 Intellectual Property section on only one app

We have several apps that are made by our company, and we are the owners of them. One of them happens to be similar to Uber, where there are "APPX" and "APPX - for drivers".


Since our company name isn't APPX, but we are the owners of APPX, we added in the metadata our company name. We have several apps that this has worked and been approved, including "APPX - for drivers". However APPX is now stuck in the "2.1 Legal: Intellectual Property - General" and in my experience it will just stay this way since all answers to questions are justa copy-paste of the same rule.


Am I stuck in some sort of automated flagging? There are plenty apps where the app name isn't the company name, and we have a few. It's pretty ridiculous how often this has tripped us, even when developing our own apps. Does Apple expect us to create a registered company for every app we create? I have already asked this question but got a copy-pasted "2.1 Legal: Intellectual Property - General" as my answer...


Any recommendations?

Replies

I don'tb think this has anything to do with company name. I published several apps which names have not the slightest resemblance with the company name.


So, you should find what else is infringing or riking to infringe 2.1.


5.2.1 states:

5.2.1 Generally: Don’t use protected third-party material such as trademarks, copyrighted works, or patented ideas in your app without permission, and don’t include misleading, false, or copycat representations, names, or metadata in your app bundle or developer name. Apps should be submitted by the person or legal entity that owns or has licensed the intellectual property and other relevant rights and is responsible for offering any services provided by the app.


You said that One of them happens to be similar to Uber

Are you sure not to infringe any patented idea here ?

Is it possible that you are using a name or some other reference that is claimed by someone else? For example, a search of the App Store for "APPX" comes up with 3 developers that are already using the title "APPX" in one form or another. Are you one of them? Could you have stepped into a raging battle as a fourth?

I meant similar to Uber as in it hs two apps: one for the clients and another for the service providers.


Could it be that when they aproved the app for service providers it flagged the client app as "having a third party material" since the name is similar/has the same name to the previously acceppted app?

APPX is not the name of the app, just a placeholder for this post. The only other app with the same name is the "APPX - for drivers". Could Apple have flagged the second because it aproved the first, and they both have the same name?

Yes, Apple could be protecting the owner of APPX - for drivers by rejecting your APPX app. If so, all you would need to do is inform App Review in the notes that you are also the owner of APPX - for drivers.


OR....there could be some other possible trademark out there that Apple has flagged that is also being used by your app. Do a simple search for some of your key names and see if they turn out to be Pepsi or Coca Cola (Pepsi and Coca Cola are just placeholders for this post). It is also possible that your app infringes a patent right held by Lyft or Uber (as mentioned by Claude31). I guess you need to ask App Review what their concerns are since you "believe you have the copyrights, patent rights and trademark rights to use all terms and methods incorporated in the app".