I built a free open-source Mac app and got DMCA'd for using Apple's public APIs

https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2026/04/2026-04-01-avalw-shield.md

by soulsniper • 4 months ago

8 4 4 months ago

soulsniper• 4 months ago

Last week a Mac app called Avalw Shield launched charging $499 lifetime to auto-lock your screen when you walk away using face detection. The comments were brutal about the pricing so I built FaceGuard over a weekend — same core feature, free, MIT licensed.

They filed a DMCA takedown against my repo. Their claim is that I infringed by using:

- AVCaptureSession (Apple's camera framework) - VNDetectFaceRectanglesRequest (Apple's Vision framework) - CGSession -suspend (20 year old system call) - SMAppService (Apple's login item framework)

Every single item is a public Apple API documented at developer.apple.com. There is no proprietary code to copy. The only way to build this feature on macOS is to use these exact frameworks.

I'm 15. I wrote every line myself. Filing a counter notice today.

Repo is temporarily down due to the takedown. Will be back up after counter-notice resolves.

razingeden• 4 months ago

not an expert here but isn’t it illegal (on their part) to assert dmca over rights you don’t own?

If it’s regarding Apple’s IP and the claim isn’t from Apple that’s a false claim, the verbiage might be misrepresentation.

sh-cho• 4 months ago

Wow, this DMCA takedown request is non-sense and I bet you will have your repository back.

RugZug• 4 months ago

Hosting libre software on proprietary git forges will always result in those owning the forge doing something bad to its users and their code, sooner or later.

https://www.gnu.org/proprietary/proprietary.html

The best option is to selfhost. Something like Radicle is a good option. Forgejo is another.

I built a free open-source Mac app and got DMCA'd for using Apple's public APIs

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