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Legal and Regulations

It’s the responsibility of the app provider to ensure that their app is compliant with the laws and regulations in all applicable regions. Although the Framework can’t cover all of the relevant factors, the most important are described below.

Privacy

All user data that’s being generated or captured needs to be handled with care and should only be used for the intended and described purpose. Providers are also obliged to ensure that an offering isn’t collecting more information than necessary, and that personal or sensitive data is kept with care. Using or sharing data without having obtained the user’s permission in order to track their behavior without approval isn’t permitted.

Intellectual Property

In our interconnected world it’s easy to copy and re-use content created by someone else. In the professional context, it’s especially important to be conscious about intellectual property (IP).

As long as the content that a provider creates originates from the provider, there’s no action required. However, if other people’s creations are used, usage rights need to be ensured: for example, by acquiring a license and following its obligations and restrictions. Infringing on another party’s IP rights or encouraging users to do so can lead to exclusion from the Ecosystem. In the event of being accused of violating someone else’s IP, written documentation that proves individual usage rights might help resolve the issue. If another party is infringing on a provider’s usage rights, we encourage the provider to directly contact that party first. If an app provider needs support to resolve IP issues, contact the Ecosystem Orchestrator.

The Ecosystem Orchestrator doesn’t use any information obtained by executing the Orchestrator role in the Ecosystem to generate a competitive advantage for Siemens or other affiliated partners.

Governance

If an app, device, or action infringes on one or more of the rules specified in this Framework, measures will be taken as described below. Providers will receive all relevant information concerning their policy violation. If a provider's offering was removed from the Ecosystem by mistake, they have the option to object to this measure, which will lead to further examination by the Ecosystem Orchestrator.

  • Refusal: A new or renewed offering that was submitted for review that won’t be published on the Marketplace and IEHub. Eliminate policy violations before submitting the offering again.

  • Removal: An offering and all previous versions is removed from the Marketplace and IEHub. Existing end user can continue to use the installed offering. Frequent removals or abuse may lead to a cancellation of the agreement. Eliminate policy violations before submitting the offering again.

  • Exclusion: If an account is excluded, all offerings will be removed and new offerings can’t be published. An exclusion occurs if offerings are frequently removed, or if the provider is abusing the Industrial Edge Ecosystem. New applications or devices may be accepted after 18 months.

Updates to the Ecosystem Framework

Updates to the Ecosystem Framework are indicated by an increment in the version number under Introduction. A changelog can be found at Orchestrator. The framework will be updated every 3 months with a 4 month grace period.