Should I patent my app idea?

1) If I have an idea for an app, who should I develop it for: Android or iOS? Note: My idea can be set up for both.
Ok. Basically let's get down to the main point, who will pay the most?

2) Another question, Can an app be patented? If so, Should I patent it? If so, should it be a UK patent Only or International?
The reason I'm asking is that I'm always worried about someone stealing my idea.
Silly question; If I use, say for example in this case, iphone software to create an app, can they steal my idea?

I have a few ideas (not just for apps) but I'm always worried that the ideas would get stolen or I may get conned by the buyer. I get worried the legitimacy of who I would be selling the idea to or making it for…

If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm based in the good old UK so I'm looking for advice relevant to me.

Right now I'm totally confused dot com

1. The only way to protect your IDEA is to not tell anybody. The risk is that someone else will come up with the same idea independently. You can't stop that.

2. You can't patent an IDEA. You can sometimes patent a working implementation of an idea provided it satisfies certain strict criteria. Patents are territorial. Most Apps are NOT territorial so you would need a patent in every major market for the App. As it happens, that is unlikely to be relevant as the chances of it being patentable are incredibly slim.

3. Your IDEA is not protected by copyright but, if you create an App. That embodies or gives effect to your idea, the artistic, literary or software implementation of the idea is AUTOMATICALLY protected by copyright. You own the copyright unless you transfer your right to someone else. Any one who creates a copy or a derivative work from your copyright material without your consent infringes your copyright. Enforcing your copyright through the courts is a job for expensive specialists and is only worth it if the economic detriment you have suffered is great.

4. If your software includes third party material, you may not have exclusive rights to the copyright. For example, if you use or embody open source material, you may be bound by the terms of the applicable open source licence which may require free publication of your App. Not all open source licences have this effect but we all have to respect the ones that do.

5. Get to know confidentiality agreements (also called 'non-disclosure agreements') and use one to protect your valuable information/software before you disclose it to others. Take care before making your actual code available. Keep a copy of everything you disclose and keep a record of when you disclosed it. Make sure everything you disclose is marked with your copyright notice - This has no legal weight but it helps to put others in notice that it is yours.

I can't help you with Android vs iOS or the economics of either or whether you could offer apps.directly yourself rather than going through a distributor.

Software is really difficult to patent, hardware can be, but software can easily be copied whether you try to patent it or not.