Using Apache/MIT licenced libraries in a closed source project

Question

I've searched the web for hours trying to figure out if I'm using the licence properly, hopefully some one can enlighten me furthermore.

I own a start-up company that creates business-development tools for business of any kind, in some of our tools we develop on android, in order to install on a device, lock it with a kiosk app and sell it as a unit.

My question: assuming the unit make use of 3rd party library protected by Apache\MIT licences, does I use those library in a legit way? more info: the source code is closed, and the app will never reach the app store.

Answer 1

The principal prescriptions (there are also a few proscriptions) applied to object-code-only distributions by the Apache and 3BSD licences are, respectively,

You must give any other recipients of the Work or Derivative Works a copy of this License; and

If the Work includes a "NOTICE" text file as part of its distribution, then any Derivative Works that You distribute must include a readable copy of the attribution notices contained within such NOTICE file

and

Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

As long as you honour those, you should be fine. It's also generally considered a good idea to include the copyright statements from the Apache-licenced code.

Often tablet- or phone-app code includes this in a submenu, a behaviour you can see in almost any piece of free Android software. Assuming you've got an Android phone, point it at https://f-droid.org and install a couple of free apps to see how it's done. This answer contains a short list of some such apps, and the locations of the license acknowledgments therein.