

Ask HN: iOS app portfolio, is it legal/ethical?  - thinksocrates

I have built many iOS applications as a full time employee of a development company. I am going freelance this year. Is it legal and/or ethical for me to include links to these apps in the AppStore as part of an online portfolio. If not, what about screen shots? What about in a private meeting? Thanks in advance.
======
wallflower
It would be better that you were able to get permission from your soon-to-be
former employer, but it seems like this is something that they or you are not
willing to discuss. You are not asserting any ownership rights over the apps;
you are simply stating the facts. As these are (presumably) App Store
downloadable - there is no case that these are proprietary. The ideal
situation is that you leave on good terms with your soon-to-be former company
but I think it is perfectly ethical to state which apps you worked on, as long
as you clarify that you only did part of the app (assuming you did). It's not
like you are stealing their entire Git repository. As for legal, think of
yourself as a producer or director. What company would have the right mind to
sue someone for claiming that they worked on a film. So this is not legal
advice but logical: it should be fine to tell people online what you worked on
and be sure to include a backlink. The bigger problem for you in my mind is
them asserting ownership of what apps you may have started while still working
their, on your own time.

------
brudgers
If you provide the link, accurately describe your role in their delivery and
to clearly list the company which developed them (Font at least as big as the
one describing your role).

As you develop your own works, pull this stuff out.

------
boctor
Does your employer advertise which apps they've built? Some companies build
apps for clients with an agreement to keep the identity of the dev shop
private. If your employer does this, neither the clients or your employer will
be happy with you telling the world what they agreed to keep confidential.

~~~
wallflower
Good point. If this is the case (not that likely as how would an iOS dev shop
market itself if it could not market itself?!), then either a) paint broad
outlines of the specific coding you did (e.g. Live updating and
synchronization of CoreData store over carrier pigeon network) or b) start
building your own apps and marketing them.

------
al05
I think as long as you correctly state that it was project at company you were
an employee at, and no NDA's it should be fine.

