Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats (Please demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in your app.)

Question

Hi devs,

we've got an app rejection and the next step is:
"Please demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in your app."

I tried to google and also searched this forum but couldn't find a clear answer/instruction. Therefore I seek your help. Of course I wrote Apple in the resolution center but I didn't get a message back until now, so I'm trying to reach out to the community.

Project setup:

"We": Developer of the app with an App Store account where the app should be published.

"Agency": Our client, an agency without AS account.

"Client": Big company without AS account.

The app contains the name and logo of the "client". This seems to be a problem for Apple now and therefore the rejection. Here's the complete message in the resolution center:

Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats

Your app or its metadata appears to contain misleading content. Specifically, your app includes content that resembles [CLIENT] without the necessary authorization.

Please see attached screenshots for details.

Next Steps

Please demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in your app.

There's a screenshot of the splashscreen attached where the logo of the "client" is shown. Also later in the app the logo is visible. The rejection is of type "metadata rejection" not "binary rejection". Other threads with the topic but no clear answer https://forums.developer.apple.com/message/204451#204451 and https://forums.developer.apple.com/message/218370#218370

Anyone else had this issue? How did you resolve it?

Thanks!

App Review

10k

Posted by

Prashants

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Answer 1

Just saw this very old unanswered question, which still gets views and replies.

In the end, the client hat to create an App Store account back in the days. We published it in their account.

All the best to you guys.

Posted by

Prashants

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Answer 2

Hi, i have the same problem. How did you solved that?

Posted by

jrpech

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Answer 3

Exact same issue for me...any solutions? I read somewhere you need to submit proper authorization to Apple legal...i dont see how or where to do that

Posted by

tashuanS

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Answer 4

Apple is asking you to:

"....demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in your app."

You need to get something from those brand owners (i.e. trademarks or copyroghts) and send that to apple. It may be possible for you to state in your notes to App Review that you have their permission to use their trademarks and copyrights - that's a call by App Review. You might have to attach a pdf of a letter from the owner of the trademarks and copyrights in your metadata.

Posted by

PBK

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Answer 5

hi,

i have the same problem, have you submitted a document to demonstrate your relationship with your client? was that enough?

thanks!

Posted by

joaqcid

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Answer 6

hi,

i have same problem and i did submit documents to demonstrate my relationship with client but i havent heard from apple its been 50 hours since i submit documents does it take longer then that or do i need to do something else?

Thanks!

Posted by

atifspall

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Answer 7

Can anyone please provide sample document for the same?

Posted by

aadharatechnos

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Answer 8

I am facing the same issue any sample how the document to be sent will look like

Posted by

Fresh_Nails_VIP

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Answer 9

Just saw this very old unanswered question, which still gets views and replies.

In the end, the client hat to create an App Store account back in the days. We published it in their account.

All the best to you guys.

Posted by

Prashants

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Guideline 4.1 - Design - Copycats (Please demonstrate your relationship with any third-party brand owners represented in your app.)

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