MKMapSnapshotter removes "Legal" from snapshots

Question

I am using the MKMapSnapshotter to create a UIImage screenshot of a small MKMapView (and stored for later use). But one thing I have noticed is that it removes the "Legal" label from the snapshot. Here the answer states that removing the "Legal" is against Apple policy. Will this affect my submission to the app store ? Or is it just required in the maps, and not the screenshots ?

I have checked the bounds of the MKMapView and the snapshot rect. There is no difference, so there's no possibility of it being cropped.

This question appears to be off-topic because it is about a legal issue. — Ortwin Gentz, Feb 21 '14 at 20:32
I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's about a legal issue. — Ortwin Gentz, Apr 20 '15 at 21:28
OK. Do you suggest I delete the question, or leave it here closed? — n00bProgrammer, Apr 21 '15 at 09:18

score 7 · Accepted Answer · answered May 12 '15 at 14:13

I don't think it's a legal issue. The "Legal" label is actually a link (perhaps a UIButton?) pointing to a legal document.

The sole purpose of MKMapSnapshotter is to create images for a specified map region/rect. The output is an image where the "legal" link would not serve any useful or legal purpose.

Please also note that MKMapSnapshotter is an official Apple API, in other words it is Apple, not you, who actually removed the "Legal" label/link.

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Feb 22 '16 at 17:00

First off, MKMapSnapshotter does not actually remove the (private) MKAttributionLabel, because by default it's not in the map image data.

You are not supposed to remove the MKAttributionLabel from an interactive MKMapView, since it leads you to the legal text (it's either a UIButton or a label that has a gesture recognizer applied to it).

MKMapSnapshotter hands out image data, it would not make sense to require embedding a button there.

MKMapSnapshotter removes "Legal" from snapshots

2 Answers2