Vendor Guideline
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Actcast Vendor Guidelines #

These guidelines are for users who considering selling applications on the Actcast Marketplace.

Actcast Marketplace allows you to earn revenue by selling apps for edge devices, such as apps that collect sensor information and apps that detect anomalies using image analysis. Apps sold in the marketplace will be used as components of various IoT solutions. The app usage fee is automatically calculated and charged to the app user based on the number of devices and the number of days it has been running. You can release an app as a public app that can be used by all users or a private app that can be used only by a specific group.

In order to allow users to use apps sold in the marketplace safely, Actcast team will review apps upon release. The app behavior and metadata such as documents will be considered in the review process. The following guidelines explain what we check when reviewing apps and what you should consider for providing a high-quality app. Make sure to read all the items. Please contact us at contact@actcast.io if you have any questions about these guidelines.

Safety #

Inappropriate Contents and Purpose #

Inappropriate content cannot be included in outputs, displays, documents, etc. of the app. Also, you cannot release apps intended for inappropriate use. Here are examples.

  • Content that harms or damages others
  • Discriminatory content for individuals or groups
  • Sexual or obscene content
  • Content that encourages the use of weapons or dangerous goods

Intellectual Property #

Do not infringe on intellectual property rights of others in the app, metadata, and in the development process. If your app uses third party intellectual properties, include the necessary license notations appropriately.

Privacy and Wrongful Act #

If the app uses / collects personal information or information that requires careful handling, describe the content and method of information handling. Also, describe what the user must do when using the app or installing a device. This includes the following.

  • Notices required on the site where the device is to be installed.

Releasing apps that perform actions prohibited by the Actcast Terms of Use or actions that are not notified to the user in the document are not allowed.

Quality #

Behavior #

Implement the app so that the device analyzes and aggregates information as much as possible and sends only the minimum required data. Unnecessary data transfer increases the risk of privacy violation, the communication charge, and the load on Casts’s destination services. Please note that apps that send data in unreasonably large amounts and high frequency may be suspended.

Documents #

Make sure to write the documentation about the app carefully so that users can understand and use it correctly. Be sure to prepare English documentation for the public app. Other languages may be used for private apps, but we may request a translation into English for the review process.

The following are examples of what should be included in the explanatory document. The required items must be writen in the document without linking to external documents on the web.

  • Required items
    • Behavior of the application
    • Content and format of the data to be sent
    • Device requirements
      • Model of hardware
      • Required peripheral devices such as cameras
      • Example of devices and peripherals that have been tested
    • Other things that users should be aware of
    • Contact information
  • Recommended items
    • How to install devices. Please explain clearly using figures or images.
    • Link to demo videos
    • Use cases
    • Example usage of Casts
    • Tutorials
    • Practical use case

Tests #

Be sure to do tests before submitting the app for review. Use an actual device and test it in the expected situation and environment. Also, test the app settings with various values. For apps using links to internet services with Casts etc, do exhaustive tests. Following are example items to be tested.

  • The app works as described in the document.
  • The app doesn’t stop on error or fall into an infinite loop.
  • The app doesn’t send frequent and large amount of Act Log.
  • The app is able to cooperate normally with Cast destination services.

Business #

Billing #

Use Actcast Marketplace to charge for the apps. Use the official name of the vendor for the name of the vendor group since the name will be listed as the billing source.

Actcast receipt

Credit management and billing for users are performed using credit cards. If the user has credit card default, the use of the app will be suspended, but there is a grace period of several months. Please note that if credit is not restored, the app will be used free of charge during the grace period.

App Fee #

The price of the app cannot be changed after its release in order to prevent the app usage fee from changing without the user knowing. If you want to change the price, release the app as a new app and remove the old app from the marketplace.

App fee is set in Tier. Please note that Tier prices are subject to change after notification to users due to exchange rate fluctuations and so on.

Releasing App #

Please note that the app and documents can be updated after its release but the name of the app cannot be changed.

A public app must be something that any user can purchase and use. This guideline does not prevent the sale of public apps that require a specific device or a use of specific web service. It may not be possible to release an app as a public app when it is determined that in practical only a very limited number of users can use it.

It is the responsibility of the app user to ensure that the app complies with any legal requirements in the region where it is used. Vendors must provide accurate information about the app and the vendor itself so that users can make decisions about legal requirements.

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