Guideline 5.2.1: App Rejected for Intellectual Property

Guideline 5.2.1, "Intellectual Property," rejects any app that uses someone else's trademark, logo, work or name without permission. That applies inside the app and on its product page. To get through, remove the third-party element or prove your right to use it: a contract, a license or a written exchange, attached in App Store Connect. Apple also requires the app to be published by the rights holder, or by someone who holds a license.

I publish my own iOS apps. Solys, TradaZen and Nolera are on the App Store, and I handle their names, icons and screenshots myself. This guide is based on Apple's official text, read on October 15, 2026, and on the help page that lists the documents Apple expects. It's not legal advice: Apple itself points out that laws differ from country to country.

What does guideline 5.2.1 say?

5.2.1 opens section 5.2, "Intellectual Property," in the "Legal" part of the App Review Guidelines. The intro to 5.2 sets the principle: "Make sure your app only includes content that you created or that you have a license to use." Your app only contains what you created, or what you have the right to use.

5.2.1 comes down to two sentences. The first: "Don't use protected third-party material such as trademarks, copyrighted works, or patented ideas in your app without permission, and don't include misleading, false, or copycat representations, names, or metadata in your app bundle or developer name." No third-party trademark, protected work or patented idea without permission. And nothing misleading or copied in the name, the metadata, the bundle or your developer name.

The second: "Apps should be submitted by the person or legal entity that owns or has licensed the intellectual property and other relevant rights." The app is submitted by the rights holder, or by whoever received a license. So an app carrying a client's brand gets published on the client's account, as I recommend in getting your app built by someone else.

The rejection is titled "Guideline 5.2.1 - Legal - Intellectual Property." You have two ways out: remove the element, or prove you have the right to use it.

Rules related to 5.2.1

Rule	What it covers
5.2.1	Trademarks, works, patents
5.2.2	Third-party service content
5.2.3	Audio and video downloading
5.2.4	False Apple endorsement
5.2.5	Mimicking an Apple product
2.3.7	Trademarks in keywords
4.1	Copying a well-known app

2.3.7 has its own rejection for the name, subtitle and keywords. I cover it in detail in the guideline 2.3.10 guide. That one is about honest discoverability. 5.2.1 asks a legal question instead: do you have permission to use this element? As for 4.1, it reminds you that a copy of a well-known app also risks an infringement claim, on top of the spam rejections explained in the guideline 4.3 guide.

Where the third-party element hides

The names below are fictional examples, made up to illustrate the rule.

• The name and subtitle. "Quiz for [famous saga]," "Planner for [well-known software]," "[Brand] Tracker." A brand name in your title suggests a connection that doesn't exist.
• The keywords. App Store Connect's help on version information says it plainly: "Names of other apps or companies aren't allowed."
• The icon and screenshots. A logo, a character, a sports team jersey, another app's interface.
• The app's content. Music, photos, fonts, videos, maps, sports results, movie clips.
• Your developer name. A seller name that reuses a well-known brand is explicitly targeted by 5.2.1. The displayed name depends on your status, see Apple developer account.

Apple's help page lists the cases where it usually asks for documentation: third-party trademarks, copied concepts, fan apps, sports and sporting events, audio, video, music, and apps that download or stream third-party content. A fan app is still an app that uses someone else's property.

AI-generated images: same rule

5.2.1 doesn't mention AI. It targets protected material, no matter how it was produced. A generated icon that reproduces a logo, a character or a brand's visual identity is just as much of a problem as a copy made by hand.

Before using a generated image, check four things:

• the prompt doesn't name any brand, character, studio or artist;
• the image contains no logo, no brand text and no recognizable character;
• the tool's terms allow commercial use;
• you keep the prompt and the generation date.

Rights to a generated image depend on the tool's terms and on each country's law. When in doubt, swap the image. It's faster than a back-and-forth with Apple.

Licensed content: read the terms, even when it's free

Fonts, sounds, stock photos, open source libraries: every element comes with a license. A free license is not a license with no conditions. Some restrict commercial use, others require you to credit the author.

A real example. TradaZen's charts use Lightweight Charts, TradingView's open source library. Its license, described in its official repository, requires crediting TradingView and adding a link to its website in the app. Tapping the small logo on the chart opened that site in the middle of a session, so I hid it. The credit and the link are on the app's legal screen: "The training charts use the open source Lightweight Charts library, created by TradingView."

For a third-party service, 5.2.2 requires that its terms of use allow your usage, with proof on request. 5.2.3 forbids offering downloads or conversion of media from sources like YouTube without explicit authorization.

Proving your rights in App Store Connect

Apple's page on information for a complete review is clear. An app that uses someone else's intellectual property provides "Trademark or rights documentation, such as a signed contract, or email correspondence showing you have permission." For 4.1, 5.2.1 and 5.2.3, Apple also lists messaging screenshots, video recordings and licensing documents.

Attach this proof in the App Review Information section, before you submit. Apple asks you to put everything the review will need there. In the app information, the "Content Rights" section reminds you that an app containing or displaying third-party content must have the rights to it in every country where it's offered.

A good document:

• names your company, or you, and the rights holder;
• identifies the trademark, work or content precisely;
• covers a mobile app and the countries where it will be offered;
• is dated, and still in effect.

Here's the reply I'd send, to adapt:

Hello App Review team,

Thank you for your feedback regarding Guideline 5.2.1.

Option A, removal:
We removed [brand / content] from build [X] and from
the metadata (name, subtitle, keywords, screenshots, icon).

Option B, authorization:
We are authorized to use [brand / content]. The
[contract / license / email from the rights holder],
dated [date], is attached in the App Review Information
section. It covers [territories].

Best regards,
[Your name]

Only send authentic, up-to-date documents. The method for answering any rejection is in why Apple rejects your app.

Apple's dispute forms, from the rights holder's side

The rule also protects your work. 5.2 says so: "someone else's app may be removed if they've "borrowed" from your work." If an app reuses your brand or your content, Apple points you to its App Store dispute forms.

Form	When to use it
App Store Content Dispute	An app infringes your rights
App Name Dispute	Your brand name has been taken

Two details from that page. Apple usually contacts the publisher of the app in question and asks them to sort it out directly with you. And Apple doesn't handle complaints about trademarks bought as Search Ads keywords.

Checklist before using a name, logo or image

Check every line before adding the element, not after the rejection.

1. The app name is available. Search for it on the App Store, in the INPI database (the French trademark office) and in TMview, which covers the European Union and other offices.
2. No third-party trademark in the name, subtitle or keywords. Describe what the app does, not what it compares itself to.
3. The icon and screenshots are yours. No logo, character, jersey or other app's interface.
4. Every media file has a known source. You created it, or its license covers a commercial app.
5. Generated images are clean. Prompt with no brand or character, image with no logo or brand text.
6. Open source licenses are respected. The required credits are in the app.
7. Third-party services allow it. Their terms cover your use of their data or content.
8. A client's brand gets published on the client's account. Not on yours.
9. Compatibility is stated without implying a partnership. A reference phrase, less prominent than your own name.
10. Proof is attached before you submit. Contract, license or email, in App Review Information.

If you can't prove your right with a single attachment, replace the element before submitting.

Pass 5.2.1 on your next submission

If Apple just rejected your app under 5.2.1, the Review Kit helps you find the rule cited and what it requires, with template notes for the reviewer. For a human look at your case, book an hour with me. The full process after a rejection is on the app rejected by Apple page.

Getting ready for your first submission? Take the free diagnostic: it puts the steps in order and sends you my Apple anti-rejection checklist. To pick your name and keywords without any third-party brand, the method is in App Store keywords.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Guideline 5.2.1 - Legal - Intellectual Property" mean?

It's the title of the intellectual property rejection. Apple spotted a trademark, work or content belonging to someone else in your app or on your product page, with no proof of your right to use it. The rule also covers a name or metadata that copies another app, and an app submitted by someone other than the rights holder.

Can I write "compatible with" a brand on my product page?

It's tricky. For its own trademarks, Apple allows a reference phrase like "compatible with," as long as the trademark isn't part of the name, stays less prominent than the name and doesn't suggest any partnership. Those are its guidelines for using Apple trademarks. Every brand has its own rules: read them, or describe the feature without naming the brand.

Can an AI-generated image get my app rejected?

Yes, if it reproduces a protected trademark, logo or character. The text targets protected material, not how it was produced. Keep the prompt, check the tool's terms, and replace any image that resembles a well-known brand.

What documents prove my rights to Apple?

Apple lists a signed contract, emails or messaging screenshots with the rights holder, video recordings or licensing documents. Attach them in the App Review Information section before you submit, and make sure they cover the countries where the app is offered.

How do I report an app that copies mine?

Use Apple's "App Store Content Dispute" form. Apple usually contacts the publisher of the app in question and asks them to sort it out directly with you. If your brand has been taken as an app name, use the "App Name Dispute" form.