Google Cast SDK Additional Developer Terms of Service

Thank you for using the Google Cast SDK. This SDK is provided by Google LLC (referred to as Google, we, our, or us in these Terms), located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States.

1.   Introduction

1.1   These Google Cast SDK Additional Developer Terms of Service (“Terms”) outline your rights and responsibilities when using our SDK, so please read them carefully. By using the Google Cast SDK, you consent to be bound by these Terms, as well as the Google APIs Terms of Service, which are incorporated by reference.

1.2   If you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms on behalf of your employer or other entity, you represent and warrant that you have full legal authority to bind your employer or such entity to these Terms. If you do not have the requisite authority, you may not agree to these Terms or use the SDK on behalf of your employer or other entity.

1.3   You agree that Google may contact you at the e-mail address you provide when you register your application to provide you with information about the Google Cast SDK, Google Cast receivers, and/or your application(s).

2.   License

2.1   Subject to these Terms, Google grants you a limited, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive license to use the Google Cast SDK to develop interoperability between your application(s) and Google Cast Receivers. A Google Web Receiver is any piece of hardware that contains Google Cast technology, including but not limited to the Chromecast device.

2.2   You agree that Google and/or third parties own all legal right, title and interest in and to the SDK, including any Intellectual Property Rights that subsist in the SDK. "Intellectual Property Rights" means any and all rights under patent law, copyright law, trade secret law, trademark law, and any and all other proprietary rights. Google reserves all rights not expressly granted to you.

2.3   You agree that the form and nature of the SDK that Google provides may change without prior notice to you and that future versions of the SDK may be incompatible with applications developed on previous versions of the SDK. You agree that Google may stop (permanently or temporarily) providing the SDK, features within the SDK, or support for the SDK to you or to users generally at Google's sole discretion, without prior notice to you. For the sake of clarity, and without limiting the foregoing, Google does not commit to maintaining every version of its SDK -- please be sure to keep your application updated to the latest SDK.

2.4   Your application may be de-registered by Google with or without notice at Google's sole discretion including, but not limited to, for violation of these Terms. If you have any questions or concerns regarding such a de-registration, you may contact us at Cast Support.

3.   Developer policies

3.1   Any application using the Google Cast SDK may not circumvent, compromise or otherwise adversely impact any access protections of a Google Cast Receiver, including but not limited to the requirement that only registered applications may utilize the Google Cast SDK.

3.2   You may not use the Google Cast SDK, either directly or by using the contents of the Google Cast SDK, to develop a standalone technology and/or to block or otherwise adversely impact any functionality of any Google Cast Receiver. For example, you may not build functionality equivalent to the APIs provided by the Google Cast SDK. You further agree that you will not create any exploits of any Google Cast Receiver, such as rooting a device.

3.3   You must register your application through the developer console. You may not circumvent that registration process, either for yourself or others.

3.4   Your application (including the sender and receiver elements) utilizing the Google Cast SDK:

  • 3.4.1   must not use the Google Cast SDK to initiate any application on the Google Web Receiver other than the application from which the user is trying to cast content, and you must take appropriate steps to ensure that your application cannot be invoked to launch content for which you are not responsible;
  • 3.4.2   must not create a means by which applications can cast content to a Cast device without incorporating the Google Cast SDK into their applications;
  • 3.4.3   must not encourage users to utilize Chromecast or any other Google Web Receiver in a way that violates our Terms of Service or usage warnings (e.g., for high-risk activities) ;
  • 3.4.4   must include protections against screen burn-in;
  • 3.4.5   must be designed to work on all Google Cast Receivers, and shall not be blocked or otherwise prevented from working on any particular Google Cast Receiver;
  • 3.4.6   must use the Google Cast SDK’s Play Control APIs for any features that control the playback of content being cast (e.g., pause button, fast-forward button). “Play control APIs” are the APIs that permit your application to communicate with a Google Web Receiver so that the user can control the content being cast;
  • 3.4.7   must not log any personally identifiable information of any user in the console logs of the user’s Google Cast Receiver;
  • 3.4.8   must not automatically cast content. Content should only be cast in response to a user request to cast that content;
  • 3.4.9   must reasonably comply with the Google Cast Design Checklist; and
  • 3.4.10   must not persistently store, or attempt to persistently store, any information on the Google Web Receiver itself.

3.5   Google makes available a means by which you can register Google Cast receivers for development purposes. In the event you request that Google Cast receivers be registered, you agree that any such registered Google Cast receivers will only be used for development purposes. You agree not to circumvent the registration process or make registered devices available to third parties without Google’s express written permission. You agree that Google may associate the serial number of a registered device with your e-mail address or other information you provide to Google.

4.   Content Policy

4.1   You must comply with the Content Policies listed in the Google Play Developer Program Policies.

5.   Icons and Trademarks

5.1   Cast button

  • 5.1.1   Your application must use the cast button available in the Get Started guide as the button users press to initiate a Cast session.

  • 5.1.2   The cast button must be at the top level, meaning that it cannot appear in a drop-down menu.

  • 5.1.3   The cast button must appear on all pages that show content that can be sent to a Google Cast Receiver.

5.2   Brand features

  • 5.2.1   "Brand Features" means trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, domain names, and/or other distinctive brand features that you either submit to Google or of which you approve Google’s use in writing.

  • 5.2.2   You shall own all right, title and interest, including without limitation all intellectual property rights, relating to your Brand Features. Except to the limited extent expressly provided below, You do not grant Google any right, title or interest (including, without limitation, any implied license) in or to any of Your Brand Features.

  • 5.2.3   Subject to these Terms, you grant to Google and its affiliates a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display your Brand Features for purposes of markeßting the interoperability of your application with Google Cast. Google and its affiliates may include your Brand Features: (i) on any Google-owned online or mobile properties; (ii) on Google or non-Google properties promoting Chromecast or other Google Cast receivers, including but not limited to product listings or promotions and offline marketing; (iii) in presentations; and (iv) in lists of interoperable applications which appear either online or on mobile devices (which includes, without limitation, lists posted on Google websites). If your application at any point ceases being Google Cast-compatible, Google will cease use of your Brand Features for such marketing purposes in connection with that application.

5.3   Google grants you a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use the "Google Cast" phrase and/or badges only in accordance with the User Experience Guidelines while your application remains interoperable with Google Cast. Google shall own all right, title and interest, including without limitation all intellectual property rights, relating to the "Google Cast" phrase and/or badges. Except to the limited extent expressly provided herein, Google does not grant you any right, title or interest to any Google brand features, including the "Google Cast" phrase and/or badges.

5.4   All use by Google of your Brand Features (including any goodwill associated therewith) shall inure to your benefit and all use by you of the “Google Cast” phrase or badge (including any goodwill associated therewith) shall inure to the benefit of Google. You shall not challenge or assist others to challenge Google’s Brand Features (except to protect your rights with respect to your own Brand Features) or the registration thereof. You shall not attempt to register any Brand Features or domain names that are confusingly similar to those of Google.

6.   Advertising

6.1   Google may in the future make advertising available via its APIs. Such advertising will appear in connection with your content or service only if you opt in. If Google makes such advertising available, and you choose to serve such advertising, Google may share revenue from that advertising with you pursuant to the advertising terms and conditions made available at the time you opt in to such advertising.

7.   Open Source Software

7.1   As stated in the Google APIs Terms of Service, some of the software required by or included in the Google Cast SDK may be offered under an open source license. There may be provisions in the open source license that expressly override some of these Terms, and in those cases, the overriding provisions apply.