Saudi Arabia ripped off my open-source app and published it on the App Store

You can't add a GPL-3 license in your repo (which explicitly allows modification, distribution, commercial use) and then also write "not for commercial distribution" in the README. Pick one.

Even then, it can be argued that a national government publishing an app for free is not commercial use.

First off, looks like a nice app, well done.

So what exactly is your objection? You open-sourced it under GPL, you mentioned they made some changes, have they not open sourced them and thus broke the terms of the Licence, is that what bothers you?

Or is it lack of attribution and notifying you, which would be a decent and respectful thing to do?

What was your actual intention here: 1. Create an app to help the world during this terrible time? 2. Build something you could make some money from? 3. Build something to get kudos from?

As it stood your app wasn't available as Apple rejected it, these guys made it available and thus if your goal was option 1 they helped you!

If option 2, then you failed upon failure and serves you right.

If option 3, I'm not sure you GPL requires attribution within the app, but they do have to open source there changes and thus should make it clear, its built upon your work.

You say here it’s open source, but your licenses read me says it’s ffnc use?

You could likely ask Apple to take down Saudi Arabia's version as a violation of your copyrights, and a violation of the license under which you offered your creation.

It's the FSF's position that Apple App Store distribution necessarily includes extra restrictions that violate the GPL:

https://www.fsf.org/news/2010-05-app-store-compliance

So, while your "no commercial use" addition itself contradicted the GPL, the GPL itself, if relied upon as the governing license, may give you enough ammo to lodge a complaint.

“I have observed, throughout life, that a man may do an immense deal of good, if he does not care who gets the credit for it.” — Father Strickland

Congratulations on your coronavirus open-source app getting distributed and presumably used! I know it sucks that they didn't credit you or honor the GPL by sharing their modified source, and folks downloading it from a not-exactly-trustworthy government isn't my first choice, but I sincerely offer you my congratulations nonetheless.

Would you mind articulating how they violated your expectations?

Some details and screenshots here: https://medium.com/@MhdHejazi/saudi-arabia-shamelessly-rippe...

Did they abide by the terms of GPLv3? If so then I don't see the problem here. I mean, you deserve an enthusiastic "Thank You" for your contribution to open-source, and I think Apple should reconsider it's determination in-light of our situation and your obvious desire to contribute... but you kinda signed up for this. I would honestly be excited and proud that a nation-state found my time and hard work so worthwhile that they essentially adopted it to benefit a larger audience. I think I would find that extremely humbling myself.

I see your point about the extra condition I added to the license. And you're right, you can see it as self-contradictory. But when I added it, I wanted to make sure nobody will use the project to make money and thought it's ok to add such a condition above the license.

That said, my concern here isn't the commercial use of the app, they're not doing that. It's about publishing the app without complying with the GPL-3 conditions. It'd be totally fine had they respected the license and attributed the original project.

I understand your frustration but as nobody is making money off this (pretty polished looking!) app and it's maybe potentially even saving lives somewhere you can be proud of your work. Credited or not, it's probably having more impact on the real world than most people's side projects.

Have you written them? Who knows how this came to be, rushed out by some programmer somewhere who doesn't know about the ins and outs of licenses and just wants to get this to as many people as possible quickly.

The splash-screen (in arabic) says "all rights reserved" with a copyright logo.

And under it lists "the Saudi health council" and "national council for health information".

So my understanding is that they're claiming copyright on this app?

https://imgur.com/a/y6EW8CB

Sounds like you should ask the App Store Legal Team to take it down, because the Saudi Government is distributing your work in a manner that is not compatible with the GPL-3 license - so it is a rights infringement issue.

https://developer.apple.com/contact

Find what you think is a reasonable price, explain to the Saudis and ask them to write you a check. They'll probably do so if your claims are correct and your price sensible. The Saudis are generous people.

You will probably be contacted by them. Ask for some money, they'll probably pay and call it a day.

P.S. Don't click on any whatsapp link they may send you.

A software license matters in proportion to wherewithal to lawyer up and enforce the terms...just like any other contract.

You used the GPL and then tried to put it on the App Store? The GPL does not allow that and you should know better.

Negotiate to get credit for the work or cash. You would not have been able to register it. They did it with a change. you found that out. Now you hold them responsible and Negotiate to get credit for the work or cash.

Negotiate to get credit for the work or cash.

Create some compelling new features for your version. But include some obfuscated back-door allowing you to insert other messaging later. Tempt the copycats to integrate your improvements, including the backdoor. Then send subversive messaging they wouldn't like, anything from simple credit, if desired, to short utterances carrying the death penalty in their jurisdiction.

(Of course, it's likely too late to pursue this strategy in this case, and one should be careful about such vigilantism against murderous organizations. But I mention this to place it in the "idea library" for other HN readers, who may find themselves in similar situations in the future.)

Did they maybe translate it so they could link it to their citizens?

I really see no problem with this, they should provide the source code, but from what you said their modifications really aren't that sought after are they?

Don't open-source something if you don't want someone to clone it. What did you think was going to happen?

I don't see why someone would post the source to an entire app then watch the app store for a clone waiting to complain about it...