5 Ways to Patent Your Mobile App Idea

It has been several years since the development of the very first mobile application in the marketplace. Yet, the outlook of trying out something new and exciting apps still excites the users in a broad manner, particularly when they try the same features on new mobile devices like wearable’s. This simply indicates that the mobile app industry holds a lot of latent.

If you are an entrepreneur, who wants to make a big name in the mobile app development industry then certainly you have to come up with a brilliant idea to execute, but also struggle to protect your app idea from getting stolen. In reality, there are various ways to patent your app but, you need to know so much about the process and how it works that you could teach an outsider how to build it from scratch.

But, in this highly competitive marketplace, if you want to protect your app from marketplace copycats then the patent is the only choice. Remember that your app has to be truly original for it to be subject to patent law. In fact, your app’s idea can be copied by anyone who has the clue about it including the people working on your project. So, in this write up you will get some useful tips which will help you get a better viewpoint about protecting your app from getting nicked.

Let’s get started!

Can Mobile Apps Be Patented?

Well, the answer to this question is simply yes. But at the same time, it is important to understand what that means.

You can’t really patent the code of your business app but you can patent the process or method.

The mobile app falls under the category of the method” or “process”.

Methods and processes can be patented easily, along with a protocol of manufacture, and compositions of matter.

So, now when you know apps can be patented, what should your next move?

Here we are going to mention 5 ways to patent your app:

Copyright your app

Copyright is one of the most renowned terms when we usually talk about protecting intellectual property. However, you cannot copyright an ‘idea’ but yes, the code and the UI elements that your mobile app developer has used in your app can be copyrighted. This process is productive only if someone copies the whole app and not makes a variant of the same. The good point of copyrighting your app is that it is comparatively cheaper than most of the other options and it provides the app owner some basic level of protection against the direct market copycats.

Non-disclosure agreement

This agreement is the best process to protect the codes and details of the project. Perhaps NDA is one of the most common steps taken by a variety of business establishments for protecting their intellectual property. It is a Non-disclosure agreement and when hiring a mobile app development company to work on your project, you need to ask them to sign an NDA for your app project. Make certain that you get the best legal representative to get ready for the NDA to serve up the point.

Use a Non-Compete Agreement

If you actually want to protect your app from being copied then a Non-compete agreement is basically intended at keeping people from revealing the trade secrets to any competitor company. This process restricts the mobile app developers to work on any other project with the same idea. This means that they technically will not be able to work with clients of their choice. Moreover, it is hard to find a reputed developer, who is ready to sign such an agreement. In that case, you can hire a mobile development company to safeguard your app’s idea.

Opt for trademarking

A trademark is a process that basically helps you limit your competitor from using the words or symbols such as logos, an icon that is linked with your app or your service. This step will certainly go a long way in discouraging your competitor companies to take the same way.

Limit the distribution

Once you are all set to launch your business app in the Google or Apple store, you need to be careful with it. To make the process effortless, set up your own business account and use it to upload the application to diverse app stores accessible online. An option would be to register an account in your surname or business name with all your particulars and give brief access to the companies working for you. You can change the credentials and details of your account later.

Conclusion

In short, do not lose your sleep over the fact that your dream idea app can be stolen by your competitors. To make certain that you stay ahead in the marketplace with your app idea what you can do is just release a basic model of the app and save the most excellent features and functionalities for afterward. You can always offer exclusive updates of the app later on to keep your target audience connected with your app, which will include these features and functionalities. This leads to a win-win circumstance for you irrespective of the fact that your application has a few rivals on the marketplace. Moreover, you can connect with Fluper, a leading Android app development company. With more than 8 years of industry experience, the company offers you with advanced solutions that suits your app needs in the right manner.