mobile-apps, brand, domain-name, launch, pre-launchLet’s say I’m developing an app called Best Thing Ever. I’m going to want to secure all of the following names & accounts:
The problem is that my app won’t be done for another couple of months. I could get the website URL and all the social media accounts, but I don’t have anything to put into the App Store and Google Play Store to secure the app name. I’m worried someone will take the app name in the meantime, once they see I’ve gotten the URL and social media accounts. (App Store apps have to have a unique name, according to rule 2.3.7. I assume Android has the same requirement.)
My question: Should I just wait to get all of those until the app is ready? Is there another way to address this?
My high-level answer is that, if you secure the social media accounts and url, you’re staking a claim in the sense of internet traffic using your product name.
I haven’t heard of any cases of app name trolling in this context (i.e. publishing a spurious app to force a 3rd party to acquire it, and the name, on the app stores. By contrast, every app developer with no ideas looks for ways to publish apps with similar names to successful apps, to siphon traffic from those successful apps.)
App store submission is much less intensive on Android than on iOS, but I’m not aware of a mechanism that allows you to reserve a name. Maybe you should secure the social media accounts but not specify that it’s an app until the app has been submitted?
That said, if you believe in the greatness of the product name
- Trademark the name
It’s not that expensive, especially if you use a mill or do it yourself. At some point you have to show use, or pay for an extension, but this will allow you to protect the name IP with cease-and-desist letters, and, in a worst case scenario, litigation.
I also want to make the point that, in the case of infringement, it’s essentially you formally notify the app stores, ideally via your attorney. This is because the infringing party may have no assets, but if the app stores are notified and don’t take action, they become liable.
For the iOS App Store, you can reserve a name through iTunes connect . Simply upload a binary for testing and this will secure your app name for 90 days which is the duration of this specific build test period. Binary could be anything! Just a simple empty app. Should you have not completed the app by the 90 days upload another build and there you gain another 90 days and so on...
I am not aware how this goes for android...
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