There is an order for the manufacture of iOS applications. The customer offers to work with the network API that is written by other people for their services, in particular the mobile application. With the help of a proxy, it was possible to establish the full API structure, including checking for the type of client (it is very simple). That is, technically - the ability to use this API is. Interested in the legal aspects of this issue. Is the API legally protected, or is connecting to someone else's API illegal?

Ps. I don’t really like this idea at least because changing the API will cause problems in the current product, but the question is only about the legal side. Thank you

Closed due to the fact that it was off topic by Nofate member ♦ Apr 29 '16 at 9:54 .

  • Most likely, this question does not correspond to the subject of Stack Overflow in Russian, according to the rules described in the certificate .
If the question can be reformulated according to the rules set out in the certificate , edit it .

  • one
    Not strong in jurisprudence, but I suppose the following. If the API is not public, then the only way you could learn about this API is to reverse-engineer the application-server communication protocol. Usually, in licensing agreements of programs, reverse engineering of both the programs themselves and the communication protocols used in them is explicitly prohibited. - fori1ton 1:01 pm
  • In this case, under the "license agreement" you mean a public offer on which the applications in the appstore (EULA) are distributed? - AlexThumb
  • Again, not strong ... Most likely it is she who is implied. Perhaps, for individual applications there is an agreement other than Appstore. - fori1ton pm
  • 2
    Ask the developer api. If it requires licensing - include the cost of licensing to the customer. Think about what to do if the customer later withdraws the order. - VladD
  • one
    @AlexThumb, well, what legal side are you talking about, if not even tried to talk to the owner of the API? Maybe there people would be willing to cooperate, they just did not think that it might be interesting to someone else. As for your customer, he, too, made a fantasy of himself in his head. Or provided the facts? Then I must understand that it is illegal, and you are not here, but to the forum "how to circumvent the law." - user6550

1 answer 1

If the program / application / API does not have a license or the license is unknown, then by default it is considered that All Rights Reserved , that is, all rights reserved to the author. In Russian, this means it is not allowed for use by others.

Thus, in essence, you are using an API, and even more so by subjecting its protocol to reverse engineering, are committing a criminal offense (if not for the purpose of studying and even in some countries it is prohibited).

In general, you either find a license to this API - for example , an Ebay API license looks like this or stay away from this business.