CrAzY idea... Troubleshooting app.
 

I have been kicking around this idea for a while. Thought I'd get off my arse and do something.

I want to do a little project to write a smartphone app. It's really an excuse to get started with a bigger idea I have and teach myself some mad skills.

So I was thinking that I might combine this with my Porsche passion and do something that might be useful. My first thought was a CIS troubleshooting app.

But before I take off on such an idea, I have a really stupid question. Does anyone (Porsche?) "own" the technical information like specs? If my app represented a tech spec that I found (like a torque value or control pressure) in the Bentley or a Porsche manual or someplace else, am I violating any laws?

I am not looking to infringe on anyone. Like I said, I'm just looking for a fun side project. No plans for world domination (yet). :)

I realize I probably need real legal advice but it seems like this would be a good place to start since a lot of info is shared here.

As always, thanks in advance.

I think I'd be more worried about the actual spec than if the spec itself had copyrights attached to it. Bentley Publishing had had many an error printed when it comes to torque specs, and some of them have been ridiculously off.

We republish torque specs here all the time, and nobody from PAG is calling Wayne to shut him down. I think using logos and the like would get you into trouble, but technical specs are technical specs, and they are published and disseminated. IANAL, but I can't see how quoting a figure is going to get you into copyright trouble. Republishing an entire section, selling it as your own stuff? Sure. :)

You'd be better served building a responsive web app. Device agnostic is the future.

Now, if you were simply trying to hone your skills in native app development I understand your decision.

Regarding copyright ... no worries there. The biggest concern is archiving accurate data.

PM me if you'd like. Maybe I can lend a hand somehow. Sounds like a fun project.

Ahhh, yes... the oft-mentioned "Bentley is full of errors" problem. I just wondered... do they publish any errata/corrections for their manuals? Probably need a "caveat emptor" statement to cover myself.

I hear ya... and I thought the same thing myself. But publishing something on an app store has a way of bringing out the attorneys that might otherwise go unnoticed. With greater visibility comes greater scrutiny.

Like I said, certainly not looking to plagiarize anything...

No doubt that a web app would probably be more useful, but the purpose of my little endeavor was to get my feet wet with smartphone app development for my real World Domination Plan(tm). Plus, I know how to do that already. So this was really just because I was looking for something more interesting than a "hello, world" app on a smartphone.

And it's an added bonus for work too. I am a wireless guy (everything from the cell site to the Internet) but I've spent very little time working on the devices themselves. I do get involved in devices but it is more from a future standards support and implementation perspective and very little about what is available today.

You guys remember what Einstein said when someone asked him to explain how radio works, right? He said that the basic principle of a telephone could be likened to what happens when you step on a cat's tail. You step on the tail and sound comes out the other end. Radio works just like that except there's no cat. :D

lmao.