Steal the app and publish it to the AppStore using an ad-hoc distribution
I'm going to ask users in public forums to beta test my app using ad-hoc method. So if the user is interested in testing / viewing, he sends me the UUID and I send him the binary app.
The main question is: is it safe to provide any application binary? I have heard some horror stories on the Apple iphone developer forums that someone found in his app, posted by someone else using a different company name and a different icon. So the app was exactly the same except for the company name and graphics. He said that someone else got his binary app, hacked it, and published it on the AppStore for profit.
So, is it possible to steal my application and publish it to the appstore if I give a binary application using ad-hoc?
THH
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Yes, as long as it is possible for apps in the app store.
There are tools that can decompress signed binaries, which can then be repackaged.
In the same light, someone might hack into Visual Studio to show a different company name and then let go of it as theirs.
In both cases, there are serious legal implications, and in both cases this happens very rarely.
In the case of iPhone apps, it is very unlikely that someone would want to steal your app. If you really think there is a risk, I wouldn't recommend sending special copies to random people you don't know.
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If you feel threatened, you can add an "expiration" to the system. Check if the date is later, for example November 2009 and kill it. I don't think anyone will run into the problem of removing your code signing by signing it with their identity after they broke the uptime. The app should be pretty awesome.
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Yes, technically they can take a binary and write it off with their keys. They can do this either for installation on their device or for shipping to a store.
They won't have a source, so making any corrections or changes (including to fix the rejection of the filing) would be extremely difficult, and it shouldn't be difficult to prove the copyright infringement and remove it (although you might have to pay multiple attorneys ).
At the end of the day, I wouldn't worry about it ... this kind of thing just doesn't happen in practice.
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