4 Legal Tips To Protect My Mobile App

You've searched every App store out there and know exactly what's missing. You're ready to take that idea out of your head and turn it into a money making venture. Read on for four areas where you can get tripped up in developing and launching your mobile App.

4 Legal tips to protect my mobile app

1. Have a written agreement with the App developer: You need to know if you own the App and the IP in the app. It seems like an easy question, but often when I talk to App developers and folks with App ideas, they don't understand who actually owns the finished App. If you are hiring someone to develop your idea into an App, make sure you have a written agreement spelling out who owns what.  Even more important, make sure you understand that agreement. Your App might include intellectual property including patents, copyrights and trademarks.

“If you are hiring someone to develop your idea into an App, make sure you have a written agreement spelling out who owns what. Even more important, make sure you understand that agreement.”

2. Have a written privacy policy: The Federal Trade Commission requires a privacy policy; California law, as well as other state's laws, requires a privacy policy and if you plan on launching out of the country, you need to understand those laws, too.

3. Have a unique product name and a trademark application ready: A trademark is a brand identifier that helps your consumers distinguish your product or service from similar products and services in the marketplace. If you've checked the iTunes Store or Google Play lately, you know they are crowded marketplaces and the name of your App has got to stand out and be memorable.

4. Have your App compliant with submission requirements: If your App is misleading to consumers and provides inaccurate descriptions of the App's functionality, it will most likely be rejected by the iTunes Store and Google Play. This will send you back to the drawing board and delay the launch of your App.