Apple drops iPhone NDA for released software
Responding to widespread criticism, Apple said Wednesday that it has decided to do away with its non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software while it drafts a new agreement covering just non-released software.
"We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others donÂ?t steal our work. It has happened before," the company said in a statement on its iPhone developer site.
"While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others."
Apple went on to acknowledge that the iPhone NDA "has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhoneÂ?s success, so we are dropping it for released software."
The Cupertino-based company is currently drafting a new agreement withoutÂ*an NDAÂ*covering released software that developers will have to sign later this month.
"We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others donÂ?t steal our work. It has happened before," the company said in a statement on its iPhone developer site.
"While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others."
Apple went on to acknowledge that the iPhone NDA "has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhoneÂ?s success, so we are dropping it for released software."
The Cupertino-based company is currently drafting a new agreement withoutÂ*an NDAÂ*covering released software that developers will have to sign later this month.
Comments
Mark
Oh, and btw, I freakin' LOVE my iPhone
Wow.
If you go over to MDN or Engadget it's all pissy stuff and juvenile "About blooddy time!" kind of comments.
I like how all the comments here are actually positive.
Typical Apple fanboys!
I like how all the comments here are actually positive.
If you go over to MDN or Engadget it's all pissy stuff and juvenile "About blooddy time!" kind of comments.
It is though!
This is good and all, but who approved that writing? Awful copy
It's never good to use phrases like "ripped off" in official company communications. The letter comes across as whining.
I also hope they will be still screening new apps for bugs.
Or is there some other legal gotcha?
As long as this doesn't enable others to rip off Apple's code and concepts, it's a nice step forward and one less thing the usual tech media pundits will have to nag about.
I don't see how dropping the NDA means that Apple's code and concepts are suddenly free-for-all. Apple's code is still going to fall under copyright, the protectable concepts should have been patented already. I doubt they would show independent devs stuff protected as trade secret. I haven't heard of anyone saying that the iPhone OS source code is available to developers either.
i don't see how dropping the nda means that apple's code and concepts are suddenly free-for-all. Apple's code is still going to fall under copyright, the protectable concepts should have been patented already. I doubt they would show independent devs stuff protected as trade secret. I haven't heard of anyone saying that the iphone os source code is available to developers either.
copy that
So does this enable the distribution of open source (not necessarily GPL) programs? For example, if someone writes a tethering application (which can't be sold on the apple store) they can now just post the source code and anyone can download, compile, and install it.
That has nothing to do with the NDA. The NDA means we couldn't even discuss developing for iPhone in public. That means no forums, tutorials, books, etc. Now we can discuss it. It doesn't give us any new capabilities.
Unlike Mac OS X, many of the actual API's in use are not published or compilable with the public SDK.
That has nothing to do with the NDA. The NDA means we couldn't even discuss developing for iPhone in public. That means no forums, tutorials, books, etc. Now we can discuss it. It doesn't give us any new capabilities.
But before we couldn't distribute source code. Can we now? It appears so. That allows projects to be hosted at places like Sourceforge or Google Code. If there are to be any books, tutorials, etc. they will likely include source code &/or websites with downloadable code.
For example, I wrote a little app that I'd like to respond to a "shake" event. The docs & sample apps show how to read the accelerometer values, but not how to interpret a "shake". Now someone should be able to post boilerplate code for listening for "shakes".
- Jasen.
That has nothing to do with the NDA. The NDA means we couldn't even discuss developing for iPhone in public. That means no forums, tutorials, books, etc. Now we can discuss it. It doesn't give us any new capabilities.
I disagree, the NDA prohibited anyone from posting iPhone source code online since doing so would reveal parts of the iPhone SDK API to people not under NDA. If example code can now be posted online or in books, then I see no reason why code for a full application can't be posted.
It's probably also reasonable to assume that now GPL programs can be developed for the iPhone (for example, Adium) and sold on the App Store (for those people who don't want to download and compile the source code).
To reply to you's guys about the iPhone OS source code, no, it is in no way in the hands of the developers. Only the coding concepts, sample code, and unrestricted API's.
Unlike Mac OS X, many of the actual API's in use are not published or compilable with the public SDK.
Huh? Not talking about the OS source code. Talking about application source code.
Since SDK 2.1 is relatively recent, it's hard for me to believe that interesting and useful applications (like tethering) can't be developed using it.