Apps are not just restricted for games anymore. The licenses of mobile apps are enhancing business-to-business commonly for all the software vendors which are increasing their outreach for the customized apps used by industries to reap the rewards of mobile apps and cloud computation.
If you are an app developer or an IT company. Then knowing the laws and preparing an app accordingly might be helpful for users and will not cause any harm once it gets popular as it is made according to the laws and regulations.
All the apps whether it is education, finance, digital wallets requires proper rules and regulations and healthcare apps are not an exception to it.
Oh! Yes now let’s discuss the core of the article. The steps which an app development company in Canada must look are as follows:
Check the EULA
The small piece of the whole software product gets represented by the mobile apps and when it is compared to the full chambers of desktop functionality. A mobile app needs an end-user license agreement (EULA).
There are several cloud service providers which might have their own service terms that are often designed for web access to all the software and they might not even perceive the need for EULA.
But when we talk about the mobile app development then we might talk about the traditional license where the same copy of EULA is kept on the devices and systems of the users.
So point number 1 is to successfully make a check on the EULA and to know whether the app meets the requirement of all the laws or not.
The software vendors need to recognize that the apps which are launched on the IOS platform will always come along with a ready-made EULA courtesy of Apple.
Other platforms will also have license terms. Software vendors must also consider the development of EULA in its personalized manner and there are many good reasons for doing such things after risk assessment.
For an App store, the app developer must also take a note of rules and regulations framed by Apple. Inc which are to be included in the license.
Under the Android market , the developer distributor agreement must make the default term grant a non-exclusive, worldwide and perpetual license.
If there is no requirement of a broad license then customized EULA must be taken into consideration.
Review Privacy
All the app developers must consult for legal advice when any privacy issue arises. The privacy problems with all such apps must filter even for some time and for some high-profile reports which brought major attention to such issues.
In most of the cases, app developers must be harvesting private details about the app users even by digging up in the location data and all the address books.
The privacy and laws pertaining to security of data gets very complex but it gets underpinned with the private sector policy laws which has personal information across all the industries at both the federal as well as provincial level.
Likewise in the United States of America, the Attorney General of California has entered into an agreement with mobile app vendors such as Amazon, Google, Hewlett-Packard and all the other major giants of IT to enhance privacy protections for all the app users.
The arrangement further implements several principles of privacy and also needs app developers which will bring all the app developers in the same line under the Canadian law.
If the privacy policy does not exist then the app developers must consider and follow one while launching a mobile app and healthcare apps are the one which gets all the permissions and licenses much easily when compared to any other apps.
Such an exercise to procure a license must be very helpful for the app developers as they get to know the insights of the market very easily which further helps them to prepare an app of their kind.
Check the data
The control and ownership of the data is a grave issue for all the end-users. In case of the mobile apps that act as a fulcrum to the broader enterprise and even cloud-based software offerings, then the data issue might get even more complicated.
Who owns it? Who is actually responsible for this? And where does the data lay?. On such a device, on a customer’s server or there’s a vendor which has all the data and there’s a third party host?.
The issues can get easily addressed within the app EULA. It might also get possible to cover it within the EULA for the enterprise software application.
Data escrow might also be applicable in numerous cases.
Distribution
Consider where and how the mobile apps will get distributed?. For an example in several cases mobile apps can be kept in a closed system which allows the distribution of apps within the same company.
Mobile apps vendors find Apple’s App store as the best way to launch their app among all its customers. It is the easiest way to distribute the app and launching an app on the App Store means that it gets available to more than 60 jurisdictions around the world.
Making proper considerations of jurisdictional issues an app developer must realize that the materials used in marketing offends the advertising rules of FTC in the United States of America.
Further the violation also resulted in a fine as well as a complaint which was filed against it.
Integration
The mobile apps must be consolidated with all the other services and even the software products. Both the perspectives are to be considered whether it is technical or legal.
Brands and Trade-marks
The most important aspect of the mobile app which deserves crucial attention is brands and trademarks for the enterprises. But trademarks must only be considered for the app as well.
The Apple app store has still a lot to get considered whenever we talk about trademark rights.
Consider the treaty of the mobile apps just like the way you would prefer any other product – Branding and brand protection must be taken into consideration as they are the most important jurisdictions when the customers will download and use the app.
Concluding Lines
All the apps must meet the rules and regulations framed by the agencies and Govt of Canada.
By following the rules and regulations the app development companies will perform better with higher efficiency.
All such rules and regulations will prevent the app developers from getting into legal problems.
About the Author
Parth Patel is a serial entrepreneur and CEO of SyS Creations which is a top doctor on-demand solution provider. Operating the IT Infrastructure of SMEs and startups keeps him on his toes and his passion for helping others keeps him motivated.
