How to Patent an App Idea – A Step-by-Step Guide

Steps to Patent an App Idea – You can’t afford to miss this out!

Launching a mobile application is not at all sufficient. It needs to constantly update with the trends and technologies but, it is important to patent an app idea. Yes, your app can also get registered with the government rules and regulations. Every idea is important, if you are also launching your mobile application for Android and iOS, then it is important to patent and if others want to use it, allow them to leverage the benefits of the clone. 

If you are not aware of the patent a mobile app idea, then this blog is helpful for you. We will discuss about the importance to patent an mobile app idea along this also highlight the steps and things that are required.

What does Patent an App idea mean?

The word mobile app Patent stands for an intellectual property law –

• This law allows to protect the idea with a law against illegal and non-consensual ways of usage.
• Protect the idea and don’t restrict all the rights of the companies to use your any feature or your idea for their business or other perspectives.
• This law makes sure that no one can acquire any type of profit or gain to run your services in the market.

Importance of Patent an App

This is the digital era, where digitalization is booming like anything. New advanced innovations are introduced in the market. Your idea is unique and obviously, no one wants someone to grab your idea in any way. So, to get an app patent you can secure your idea with law. The app owner can leverage the different benefits and that includes –

• App owners can make a profit with their idea by offering clones of the same to others.
• By doing this you can prove the originality of your app and have all the fame rather than distributing it to others.
• Make your ownership unique in the market.

Things Required to Patent An Idea

There are the following ways that make the idea in the criteria –

• The idea should be innovative

To patent an app your idea should be highly innovative and advanced. Make sure the idea should be impressive for your users and gain the attention of the users.

• App ideas should be unique

The second point that you can’t avoid is that the app idea should be unique from others. it should be based that no other party should be working on this. This should be totally different from others’ perspectives. If it is copied or similar it has no value.

• The application idea should be useful for the audience

Thirdly, the app idea should be useful for the audience. It should add some value to their life either personally or professionally.  So, to patent app idea it is important that the idea should be different from the rest of the businesses.

Steps to Patent an App Idea

Now if you finalized to patent an app idea, let’s have the steps that how you can –

Partner with a Lawyer

The most important thing is to partner with a patent lawyer. It is considered as the first step to make your app legalized of your application. But before partnering with a patent lawyer, it is essential that the lawyer should have experience in the legal field. Yes, you can register your own application, but it is recommended to hire a professional for your project to avoid future failures.

Hence, before taking any step do your research, make a detailed document and then opt for the best service for your project.

Final Product

Only having an idea is not sufficient, it is important that you should have your final product in your hand. In simple words, to get a patent on an app it is important that you close the development part and the idea should convert into reality. 

Moreover, it is also important that you appropriate it if you have a prototype of your workflow. In court, you can verify that its workflow and functionalities are designed by you only. The prototyping will help your lawyer for a mobile app patent.

Submit under provisional or non-provisional Patent Application

Yes! There are two types to patent an app and that is provisional and non-provisional.

Provisional – With the provisional law,  app owners can file an app patent without a formal declaration, patent claim, or even data disclosure. It has its own benefits that include –

• On-application app owners can use the pending patent app.
• Considers 12 months for releasing MVP.
• Less expensive as compared to the non-provisional apps.

When it comes to non-provisional, it has its own benefits and can be considered as a more legal process to patent an app.

The non-provisional patent mobile app can be considered without any reference. They should able to claim and specifications. To patent mobile app idea, it is imperative to have an invention written description as well as legal proof that the application is owned by the owner. It has a legalized process. 

It fully depends on you that what you want to opt for you can go with the first one also and if you want then the second one also. But the first one works for you, so there is no harm in it.

Submit your Patent Application

This is the final step to patent an mobile app. Finally, after having all the requirements it’s time to legalize your process. Yes, it’s not just an easy process, it requires several paperwork. It is important that you should have some important documents that include –

Important documents that you should have while submitting your Patent App

• Declaration of the Oath 
• Specification 
• Claims 
• Structures
• Cover sheet 
• Fee Sheet 
• Data disclosure statement

When do you need to file a Patent app?

In the present era, it is not important that you have an idea or launch your app. The important process thing is to patent an app idea. If you have an idea and also developed the application, it is of no use, after developing the application it is important to register the application in law.

If in case the same idea is developed earlier but does not patent an app idea, then also you can patent an app and make it yours.

Conclusion

Patenting an app is the major way in the digital world to success. Patent means to register, if you have an idea or mobile app and still you have not registered your app in the market, then this article is a must read for you. Here, we have listed all the important things how to patent your mobile app idea when you should opt for it.

FAQ