Apple Blinks- Drops NDA For Released Apps

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On October 1, 2008

In a surprising but, we suspect welcomed, move, Apple just announced they will drop the NDA for approved applications.

This is a HUGE deal. Last week, I was speaking confidentially to one developer who commented that one of the most difficult things about develping their apps is the inability to speak to other developers and learn form their tricks AND mistakes. Basically the message I got was

"We are trying to play by the rules but the rules are making it rather difficult to deliver the best products to users of our app."

Well, that all changed with Apple’s release of the following note-

We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone 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 don’t steal our work. It has happened before. 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.
However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.
Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.

 

On many levels this is great news. Hopefully it is just the start of Apple working the kinks, and frusterations, out of their approach with regard to apps.

 

via MacRumors