Hi glide community! I am done with my MVP and I am about to soft launch it to my personal community. I recently got an email from my lawyer saying that we should file a provisional patent on the app/business before I make it public or it could jeopardize my patent.
Has anyone else patented a glide app? Is this necessary? Also they would need the app’s code and I don’t think I can download that. Any help or guidance would be so great thank you!
Software patents are using given for technical solutions that improve an underlying computer/hardware. Highly unlikely an app written in Glide would meet those requirements, but speak to your attorney.
Thank you very much for this clarification. I will bring this up to my legal team and see what they have to say.
Are you familiar with copyright/trademarks concerning the app? I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything.
Not an expert so definitely speak to your legal team for final decision, but here is my best shot
However software can be copyrighted similar to a book, but you need the code. With Glide there is no code so you can’t copyright it the same way. With Glide (IMO) its more of design/creative work which can be copyrighted but it has to be original, due to the components being pre made and limited inside Glide, i’m not sure you will can really copyright it easily. You cannot copyright ideas, procedures, workflows, etc… they would more come under different type of protection like a patent. e.g if you look at Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, you could argue they are very similar, if you know how to use one then you can use the other very comfortably.
Remember the objective of Glide it do as much as possible for the user/developer and reduce the amount of work the user has to do, by this very nature, the amount of original work you are doing yourself will be very limited.
Trademark would apply to your logo/tag line/phrase, that you can definitely register and has nothing to do with Glide.
Hi, Tessmillhollon 
You inspired me the following thoughts.
They’re just my inspirations. Nothing else. 
Just curious. I understand your concern. It’s happening usually on software development. The “royalties first” mindset.
Have you browsed the available free templates available in Glide Library? How do you position your MVP against them in the first place?
Does it compete more with the paid templates?
Should there be in your MVP additional unseen values, maybe you can consider isolating parts of the “code” or intellectual property that is really unique (according to your lawyer).
Maybe if you consider to compare what’s comparable first, this could help your lawyer think of the appropriate strategy?
There are some platforms whose mindset is to share even advanced code (like low code HCL Domino). And what is monetized is actually not the powerful back and front-end code, but its influence, its scalability, its customers’/fans’ base, as well as all the consulting, project management, maintenance services?
Is your value proposition still unique without Glide?
Thank you very much. I will bring this up to my legal team as well because they were needing the code to copyright it which is of course unnecessary since there’s no code. I appreciate you!
Well my app is for the users I’m not white labeling my app. I do think that what will make the app valuable is the community. My app makes it easy for solo women travelers to connect with background checked hosts so that they stay safe and save money while traveling.
The idea is not necessarily “novel” because there are a couple of other platforms that do this (couchsurfing for example) but I saw issues in these platforms so I decided to make my own with background checks included in membership and to also have it highly female based.
So between that and the fact that I don’t think a glide app is patentable, it may be unnecessary to go down this road.
Thanks for all your insight!! 
Thank you!
I understand perfectly how much it matters to offer safe places and support for traveling women (sad but reality), so I can see how much you bring value to make a better real place thanks to virtual and mobile tools.
I wish you the best whatever your decisions. I trust you will be as wise as your consideration for rightful causes like this one.
BRGDS 