I'm not 100% sure on this, so I thought I'd ask the experts If I started developing a game, and came up with a name - say "CoolestGameEver" - at what stage can I assume that the name is going to be "locked". ie if you got a graphic designer to do cool icons / title screens etc for release, and then you found out that some-one else was using the same name for another WIP app ( assuming of course that the name didn't exist already as a released app on the App Store ). Is the name locked when you get your 123123132.companyname.coolestgameever development ID for the game? Mal
You can actually submit a new app without submitting the binary for it. That's the equivalent of reserving your app name. Then when you submit the binary, the approval process starts. I would do this before you do any marketing for your upcoming app, to make sure the name doesn't get pulled out from under you.
Thanks for the info - I thought that was the case, but wasn't 100% sure. I wonder what happens if someone holds a name with a few images and no binary ( ie someone wanting to beat the system, or sit on a name ) - do they have to submit a binary within a certain period of time before the name goes back into the pot?
Name squatters suck. I blogged about this recently: Check your app name, and be prepared to change it.
Assuming you're serious about your game (and if you're writing a game you should be serious about it), trademarking the name will give you a strong degree of protection. It's up to you to protect the trademark of course, but if somebody else infringes it by calling their app by that name you can ask them to change it and ask Apple to remove the app.
