API Terms of Service

[tkinsf]

While registering my "app", I had a chance to read the API Terms of Service which says "you hereby grant to Fitbit a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty free, license to copy, display, perform, transmit, and use any Developer Applications.." Now, it probably doesn't apply to me since I'm just trying to download my own data for now. However, this term is akin to Microsoft requiring Windows app developers to grant free distribution licenses to Microsoft. If I were to develop an app, this requirement would automatically preclude Fitbit support. Any thoughts on this?

[SunsetRunner]

It basically means if you develop an app with Fitbit integration, they have the right to advertise it and provide links to people to use it with their Fitbit account. I suppose it also means they could copy the app and host it on their website, but I have not seen them do that with any app yet. The API is free because Fitbit encourages 3rd party app developers to integrate their apps with Fitbit and Fitbit wants to advertise this integration. There is nothing nefarious going on here. Fitbit is not going to sell your app, just advertise that they can be linked.

[JeremiahFitbit · Accepted solution]

The continuation of that sentence: "for the purposes of promoting Fitbit and marketing". Fitbit isn't interested in owning your app, but we would like to tell people about great apps.