There was a time not so very long ago that a company would worry most about their Intellectual Property falling into the wrong hands before it became a finished product. Companies would run a background check on every person they sought to employ and safeguarded R&D (Research and Development) on a need-to-know basis.  

Each person or team would have only a sliver of the pie with the creator and board the only people to be privy to the entire picture. This is still very much in play in today’s organizations, but when it comes to mobile apps, it’s literally impossible to vet everyone in cyberspace. So, how can you keep that mobile app you are developing safe and secure during development? Here are some tips for starters.

Start with the U.S. Government

Although it isn’t foolproof, the United States government has put three ways of protecting your mobile apps in place. You can register a trademark, copyright yourideas as the author or patent your mobile app, which provides the greatest protection – up to a point! Mired in legal jargon, there are loopholes through which a thief can work their way through. If you contest their app as being stolen from you, it could take legal counsel of the caliber that won OJ’s case for him all those decades ago!

Determine What Your App Is Worth

There is a cost involved in each of the above legal protections and if you feel like your idea has been stolen, those costs will add up. Did you know that it can cost up to $15,000 to patent something? You must decide what your app is worth before you can set the level of security you wish to invest in. Why not add protection at the very first inkling that your IP has been breached? Wouldn’t it be much less expensive to hire a team of investigators at Secure Forensics to track down the source of the leak, if any?

Document Everything and Keep Accurate Records

You will always find that investigators like to follow a paper trail. In this case, it might not be paper, but digital documentation beginning with the date the idea for your app was conceived. This is also going to be something you will need to safeguard behind walls and layers of security. Nonetheless, if you need to take your case to a court of law, it may be the deciding factor in determining who has the rights to your app.

In the end, remember this. Less is always better when it comes to shared information on an app in development. The less others know, the harder it will be to steal your product. You may want to begin hitting the market with hints of what is to come, but is that wise? Why give the competition something to look for if they can breach your security? Wait until you are ready to launch and then hit the market with advertising. Until then, that app is just not safe.