Safe to use Google Apps Engine for new ideas? What rights am I giving up?

Question

Hey.

I am planing to start on a new project which has a kinda unique idea. Usually I develop things on my own server, but since that is far inferior to the Google apps engine solution i am thinking of switching platforms.

However, I am worried that if I start to develop and if becomes "a success" (atleast within my standards), I have practically given the service away to Google. Can I move the service to someone else? Could they claim the idea? or the material?

What rights have I given Google if I start to use Google Apps engine?

Answer 1

The biggest issue I have with GAE is that exporting data is very difficult. Therefore, it is difficult to migrate from Google App Engine once you have already started with it. Keep this in mind as you start to break quota levels and have to pay for usage.

Otherwise, Google has no ownership of your web application, and you shouldn't be afraid of launching on GAE if you're afraid of them stealing your idea. They've got bigger fish to fry than make copies of every app that's launched on their infrastructure.

Answer 2

I am not a lawyer. If you're concerned, you should definitely consult one. From a purely informal point of view, however, the TOS for App Engine don't require you to give up any rights to your code except what's required to allow Google to execute it, the same as any other hosting service. I'd highly recommend reading the TOS yourself to reassure yourself of this.