Google Apps License Forbids Forking, Promotes Google Services

Sockatume writes "If you want to ship a phone with Google's apps on it, you need to license them. A copy of the OEM licensing agreement from 2011 was recently leaked, and Ars Technica provides a summary. Amongst the rules: a company licensing Google Apps can't act in a way that would fragment Android, but must also maintain the platform's open-ness; most of Google's services must be included; Google apps must be defaults, and placed within a couple of clicks of the default home screen. No surprises, but it's interesting to see the details laid out."

Comments

Antitrust

[aphor]

Tying apps to phones might be illegal by Sherman Act: using dominance in mobile device OS market as leverage in the device app market.