Cambrian House
I agree. If it's a business that you expect to capitalize on, it's all about execution. You cannot really patent an idea, only its methodology. By sharing it with the public you will at least have some record of when you first came up with it, in case you need to make your legal case with a competitor --you'd have to prove they looked at YOUR idea first.
If the problem you are solving can be thoroughly articulated and affects many, I'd say it's already been thought out. Only the demand for a product/service and their execution will make or break the long term success of your idea.
If you don't feel comfortable sharing your idea, perhaps you can,
- Break down the problem into pieces that can be validated in isolation--leaving key pieces out. If manageable, consider creating different "ideas" from these pieces.
- Propose a solution to a similar problem.
Just as a side note, don't worry about winning in IdeaWarz, I believe the feedback is much more useful, because the criteria for choosing a "winner" is totally a division by zero. Focus on getting a feel for the market demand and competition.
Whatever you do, take the time to respond to the feedback and adjust your idea accordingly.
But the bottom line is: If full disclosure makes your skin break, then you already know the answer: don't do it...
/ooper
http://www.socialthumbs.com
A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one.Henry Ford
Cambrian House began as a crowdsourcing community using a wisdom of crowds based approach to discover new business and technology ideas. These pages are being kept online as a technology demo to showcase Chaordix™.
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People
How do I protect my idea from being stolen?
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daraddishman
    Member since: Apr 8, 2008 Rank: Warrior (123 Posts) |
[Quote Member] |
Technically there is nothing you can do.
You could go through a patent and trademark process, but those cost a lot of money and time. Same for copyright of certain IP. Or Creative Commons.
Honestly, chances are your idea that you have has been thought up by others as well, in one related variation or form. I'm a big believer in co-dependent arising of ideas. Nothing forms in a bubble in one person.
Typically this concern is not that your idea be copied ( it will be, that just means you have a viable idea ), it is that you are worried that a competitor or established business will out-play you. This is just part of the realities of being an entrepreneur, and the best way to compete in the market space is to do the opposite of hoarding the idea and playing close to the chest.
The best thing you can do to compete is get out in front of customers and your market space as fast as possible, and get feedback on your idea. You may think your idea is the best thing ever, but find out quickly that people don't need/want/use/desire/etc what you are doing.
You protect your company by being agile and being in tune with your market space, not by filing expensive legal processes. Leave the patent and trademark holdings to a later date, or to General Electric.
You could go through a patent and trademark process, but those cost a lot of money and time. Same for copyright of certain IP. Or Creative Commons.
Honestly, chances are your idea that you have has been thought up by others as well, in one related variation or form. I'm a big believer in co-dependent arising of ideas. Nothing forms in a bubble in one person.
Typically this concern is not that your idea be copied ( it will be, that just means you have a viable idea ), it is that you are worried that a competitor or established business will out-play you. This is just part of the realities of being an entrepreneur, and the best way to compete in the market space is to do the opposite of hoarding the idea and playing close to the chest.
The best thing you can do to compete is get out in front of customers and your market space as fast as possible, and get feedback on your idea. You may think your idea is the best thing ever, but find out quickly that people don't need/want/use/desire/etc what you are doing.
You protect your company by being agile and being in tune with your market space, not by filing expensive legal processes. Leave the patent and trademark holdings to a later date, or to General Electric.
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Brenden
Member since: Feb 3, 2007 Rank: Viking King (767 Posts) |
[Quote Member] |
you dont...
you take that risk of your idea beings stolen every day... but you run the bigger risk of your idea not becoming a reality. There is no such thing as a original idea anymore... any idea you have ever come up with someone else has to, most likely thousands of people have come up with the same idea... so why share it and not keep it a secret... well you become part of this community, where ideas are shared and evaluated... I review your idea and give you valuable feedback which you need to help your idea evolve and become better... you could pay a focuses group thousands of dollars for the feedback you get for free of CH. I promise you that you will start with one idea and from the feedback it will change into something else intirely... something better... something you would mostly never have come up with (this fast).
The last thing to conditioner is that ideas a are free... you are going to have another one... what really is hard to come by is someone with the skills and resources to execute it.
I hope you are able to find those skills and resources with in yourself and in this community.
good luck
Brenden
CrowdsourceThis.com
you take that risk of your idea beings stolen every day... but you run the bigger risk of your idea not becoming a reality. There is no such thing as a original idea anymore... any idea you have ever come up with someone else has to, most likely thousands of people have come up with the same idea... so why share it and not keep it a secret... well you become part of this community, where ideas are shared and evaluated... I review your idea and give you valuable feedback which you need to help your idea evolve and become better... you could pay a focuses group thousands of dollars for the feedback you get for free of CH. I promise you that you will start with one idea and from the feedback it will change into something else intirely... something better... something you would mostly never have come up with (this fast).
The last thing to conditioner is that ideas a are free... you are going to have another one... what really is hard to come by is someone with the skills and resources to execute it.
I hope you are able to find those skills and resources with in yourself and in this community.
good luck
Brenden
CrowdsourceThis.com
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ooper
Member since: Nov 27, 2007 Rank: Warrior (119 Posts) |
[Quote Member] |
what really is hard to come by is someone with the skills and resources to execute it.
I agree. If it's a business that you expect to capitalize on, it's all about execution. You cannot really patent an idea, only its methodology. By sharing it with the public you will at least have some record of when you first came up with it, in case you need to make your legal case with a competitor --you'd have to prove they looked at YOUR idea first.
If the problem you are solving can be thoroughly articulated and affects many, I'd say it's already been thought out. Only the demand for a product/service and their execution will make or break the long term success of your idea.
If you don't feel comfortable sharing your idea, perhaps you can,
- Break down the problem into pieces that can be validated in isolation--leaving key pieces out. If manageable, consider creating different "ideas" from these pieces.
- Propose a solution to a similar problem.
Just as a side note, don't worry about winning in IdeaWarz, I believe the feedback is much more useful, because the criteria for choosing a "winner" is totally a division by zero. Focus on getting a feel for the market demand and competition.
Whatever you do, take the time to respond to the feedback and adjust your idea accordingly.
But the bottom line is: If full disclosure makes your skin break, then you already know the answer: don't do it...
/ooper
http://www.socialthumbs.com
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Callum
Member since: Jan 13, 2008 Rank: Noble (62 Posts) |
[Quote Member] |
Take a listen to this blog/song,
somebody (natmaka, i think) sent a link ages ago but its actaully really inspired me to share my ideas with the internet!
enjoy the show!
somebody (natmaka, i think) sent a link ages ago but its actaully really inspired me to share my ideas with the internet!
enjoy the show!
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Emesee
Member since: Apr 16, 2007 Rank: Warrior (156 Posts) |
[Quote Member] |
"How do I protect my idea from being stolen?"
Give it away.
Give it away.
Posted: May 28, 2008, 12:18 pm