Using a website in an app under different name

Question

In mobile development, you can embed a webpage in your app as part of the app. Now someone has asked me to embed a certain webpage from a website which offers a panel (which you have to buy) to their clients in an app but he also requested to remove the logo of that company from the page before showing it.

At the end of the website, there is an all rights reserved note. Now I have told him that this looks like it's violating some law (copyright maybe).

So now my question is, is this illegal or even immoral.

Answer 1

Web pages are, like all original works, protected by copyright from when they are first created for many years. This is now true in almost every country in the world. You cannot copy and redistribute a copyrighted work without permission. Including a page in an app is a way of copying and redistributing it. Removing the name of the company and not providing a link only makes the infringement worse, but it would still be infringement even if the logo were included, and a link provided. Given the "all rights reserved" notice, it does not seem that the copyright owner is giving permission to do this.

Of course if you ask the owner and get permission, you are fine, but given the notice, permission may be hard to get, unless perhaps you pay for it. But that is totally up to the copyright owner, who can gate on whatever terms s/he sees fit, or refuse.

Answer 2

If the site you are including in your app is copyrighted, it is illegal. However, you could just include a link to the site.