Hello Amazon Appstore team,
We are requesting clarification regarding an Intellectual Property (IP) policy rejection for our app submission.
Case ID: 20372849071
Issue Summary
Our app has been available on the Amazon Appstore for a long time. However, a few months ago, an update submission started being rejected under the Amazon Appstore Intellectual Property policy, and since then we have not been able to get a new version approved.
Our app is an independent third-party client that connects to a user’s own account through the service provider’s official API and official client library.
The service provider’s official API terms allow developers to build third-party client applications using the API. The terms also allow developers to monetize their applications through legitimate means, as long as the application complies with the API terms.
We believe our app follows these requirements:
- It is clearly identified as an independent third-party client.
- It does not claim to be an official product.
- It does not use the third party’s official logo, official screenshots, promotional images, or copyrighted UI assets.
- It does not include, host, preload, distribute, or publish third-party-owned content.
- After sign-in, it only displays content already available to the signed-in user through that user’s own account via the official API.
- It does not operate a backend server for user messages or media content.
Current Status
The app was rejected under the Amazon Appstore Intellectual Property policy, and we were asked to provide formal IP authorization documentation from the third-party service provider.
We have contacted Amazon Support multiple times, but the replies have been mostly template-style responses. We have not been told which specific part of the app violates the IP policy. Without knowing the exact issue, we cannot determine what needs to be changed.
We have already updated the store listing, review notes, in-app wording, and privacy policy to clarify that the app is an independent third-party client and does not use official brand assets or preloaded third-party-owned content. However, the submission is still being rejected, and the only guidance we receive is to provide IP authorization documentation.
My Request
Could someone from the Amazon Appstore policy or review team please clarify what exact content or asset requires IP authorization?
Specifically, is the concern related to:
- App metadata or store listing text?
- App screenshots or graphics?
- In-app UI assets?
- The factual use of the third-party service name to explain API compatibility and login?
- User-account content displayed only after the user signs in through the official API?
- Another item in the app package or review flow?
This clarification is important because the app does not distribute third-party content as app-provided content. It works more like an email client, cloud storage client, or messaging client that displays content from the user’s own authenticated account.
If the issue is a specific app-provided asset, metadata field, screenshot, or in-app text, we are willing to update it. But if the concern is user-account content retrieved after authentication through the official API, we would appreciate guidance on what documentation Amazon expects developers to provide in this situation.
We sincerely hope this case can be reviewed and clarified as soon as possible. The version currently available on the Amazon Appstore has known issues that we have already fixed in the new update, but we have been unable to publish the update for a long time due to this unresolved review issue. We would really like our users to receive the improved and fixed version.
Thank you.