Mobile applications are software running on mobile hardware and interacting with various servers. Since the popularity of mobile content overtakes Web content, the mobile app comes out as a lucrative business in the digital market. If we go by the figures, there are approximately 3 million mobile apps worldwide at this point and the figure has been increasing as we speak. Mobile applications have become an indispensable part of our daily lives and mobile app economy has grown in a drastic way.
This article tends to address the lack of consideration given to app developers and publishers in reference to their work in mobile apps. It has become the need of the hour to generate additional income streams for creators and right holders through the channel of Intellectual Property Rights in mobile apps. Thoughtful management of one’s IP portfolio is a sound business practice, and one should start as early as possible for an app.
Mobile apps are considered to be multilayered products which have different features. All such features invite a host of IP rights. Protections of IP in Mobile Apps have multifaceted benefits which can be studied below.
Benefits of Protection of IP rights for Mobile Apps
Among the various benefits of protection of IP rights for Mobile apps, one proves to be the most important for a mobile app creator, which is protecting the mobile app against infringement by others. This also gives the creator a sole right to ultimately defend the claim in the courts to use, make or sell it.
The creator/author of the work gains a number of exclusive rights, which are enjoyed by him to the exclusion of all others. As a result, when someone tries to carry out an act that falls within the ambit of one of the exclusive rights without authorization from the rights holder, there can be an occurrence of prima facie liability of IP infringement.
Exclusive rights relating to various IP include in its ambit the right of reproduction or copying, right of adaptation (which refers to derivative works) and the right of making it available to the public (which refers to distribution).
The right of reproduction includes the right to make a copy of the whole work or part of the work in question. Similarly, the right of adaptation coincides with the idea of right to make a derivation from the work in question. In the same way, right of making available to the public includes the right to make the work available over the internet in a way that public can easily access the same from their chosen time and place.
The author(s) of the work or developers can earn royalties by way of licensing their IP. The license does not give any right to the licensee to sell it or do anything which is beyond the scope of the Agreement between the Licensor and Licensee. The Licensor or developer/author of the work has all the rights to the application and can stop others from using, making, or selling it without their permission. For Ex: Microsoft specifies that a developer does not transfer ownership of any app to the company but does grant to Microsoft, as its agent or commissionaire, the right to host, install, use, reproduce, publicly perform and display via any digital transmission technology, format, make available to customers for the purposes of fulfilling Microsoft’s obligations under its app developer agreement.
As a concluding statement, it is necessary to acknowledge the fact that various intellectual property rights may protect aspects of a mobile app. The extent to which the protection is available solely depends on the elements of the mobile app in question, and on the jurisdiction involved.
Please reach us at firstname.lastname@example.org or +1 (347) 474 6888 for any queries related to IPR of mobile applications.
Maombi ya simu ni programu inayoendesha kwenye vifaa vya simu na kuingiliana na seva mbalimbali. Kwa kuwa upendeleo wa vifaa vya rununu umezidi wa vifaa vya mtandao, programu za rununu zinatoka kama biashara yenye faida katika soko la dijiti. Kwa mujibu wa takwimu, kuna karibu milioni 3 za programu za simu duniani kote na idadi hiyo inaongezeka. Programu za rununu zimekuwa sehemu muhimu ya maisha yetu ya kila siku na uchumi wa programu za rununu umekua kwa njia kubwa. Makala hii inaelekea kushughulikia ukosefu wa kuzingatia iliyotolewa kwa watengenezaji wa programu na wachapishaji katika kumbukumbu ya kazi yao katika programu za rununu. Ni mahitaji ya saa ya kuzalisha mito ya ziada ya mapato kwa waundaji na wamiliki wa haki kupitia njia ya Haki za Mali ya Akili katika programu za rununu. Usimamizi wa akili wa kwingineko ya IP ni mazoezi ya biashara ya sauti, na mtu anapaswa kuanza mapema iwezekanavyo kwa programu. Programu za rununu zinachukuliwa kuwa bidhaa zenye tabaka nyingi ambazo zina sifa tofauti. Vipengele vyote hivyo hualika wamiliki wengi wa haki za miliki. Ulinzi wa IP katika Apps Mobile na faida multifaceted ambayo inaweza kuchunguzwa hapa chini. Matumizi ya haki za IP kwa programu za rununu - Miongoni mwa faida mbalimbali za ulinzi wa haki za IP kwa programu za rununu, moja inathibitika kuwa muhimu zaidi kwa muundaji wa programu ya rununu, ambayo ni kulinda programu ya rununu dhidi ya ukiukaji na wengine. Hii pia inatoa muundaji haki ya pekee ya hatimaye kutetea madai katika mahakama ya kutumia, kufanya au kuuza. Muumbaji wa kazi hupata haki kadhaa za kipekee, ambazo hufurahia kwa kutengwa kwa wengine wote. Kama matokeo, wakati mtu anajaribu kufanya tendo ambalo linaingia ndani ya wigo wa moja ya haki za kipekee bila idhini kutoka kwa mmiliki wa haki, kunaweza kuwa na tukio la dhima ya kwanza ya ukiukaji wa IP. Haki za kipekee zinazohusiana na IP mbalimbali ni pamoja na haki ya kuzalisha au kunakili, haki ya marekebisho (ambayo inahusu kazi zinazotokana) na haki ya kuifanya ipatikane kwa umma (ambayo inahusu usambazaji). Haki ya kuzalisha inatia ndani haki ya kufanya nakala ya kazi nzima au sehemu ya kazi inayohusika. Vivyo hivyo, haki ya marekebisho inalingana na wazo la haki ya kufanya derivation kutoka kazi katika suala hilo. Haki ya kutolewa kwa umma ni haki ya kutolewa kwa kazi kupitia mtandao kwa njia ambayo umma unaweza kupata kwa urahisi kutoka kwa wakati na mahali waliochagua. Waandishi wa kazi au watengenezaji wanaweza kupata royalties kwa njia ya leseni ya IP yao. Leseni haitoi haki yoyote kwa leseni kuifanya au kufanya kitu chochote ambacho ni nje ya wigo wa Mkataba kati ya Leseni na Leseni. Mtoa leseni au msanidi programu au mwandishi wa kazi ana haki zote za programu na anaweza kuzuia wengine kutoka kwa kutumia, kufanya, au kuuza bila ruhusa yao. "Microsoft inasema kuwa ""msanidi programu hahamishi umiliki wa programu yoyote kwa kampuni, lakini hutoa kwa Microsoft, kama wakala wake au wakala, haki ya kukaribisha, kufunga, kutumia, kuzalisha, kufanya hadharani na kuonyesha kupitia teknolojia yoyote ya uhamisho wa dijiti, muundo, na kuwawezesha wateja kutimiza wajibu wa Microsoft chini ya makubaliano yake ya msanidi programu.""" Kama taarifa ya kumalizia, ni muhimu kutambua ukweli kwamba haki mbalimbali za mali ya akili inaweza kulinda mambo ya programu ya simu. Kiasi ambacho ulinzi inapatikana inategemea tu juu ya vipengele vya programu ya simu katika suala hilo, na juu ya mamlaka inayohusika. Tafadhali wasiliana nasi kwa barua pepe: firstname.lastname@example.org au +1 (347) 474 6888 kwa maswali yoyote yanayohusiana na IPR ya maombi ya simu.