I've come up with an idea that I "think" will fly with a major company.

However, once I pitch the idea, I'm wondering what's to prevent the company from using it without my getting credit or being paid! Couldn't they just say, "we've been working on this already" and use it.

This idea isn't "rocket science", and it falls into the "why didn't I think of that" category, so it would be pretty easy for someone to knock it off once they hear about it.

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I sure would like an opinion on how to protect myself.

Any advice will be appreciated...

Thanks,

Bob

Ya gotta sell 'em. Expand their pain or feed their greed, then give 'em just enough to position your solution as the smartest, easiest option.

Then get at least half up front.

Easy for me to say, 'eh?

A.

Andy,
I think what Bob is asking is can you protect an "idea", so it can't be taken from you.

I guess it would be like having an invention, taking it to a patent attorney, then having him steal it from you "before" you got a chance to claim it as yours...

-- except in Bob's case it's simply an idea and not an invention.

Am I correct Bob?

One way to ferret out whether they are "currently working on" the same idea is to ask them a series of questions that will give you some insight into what they might being doing - before you lift the curtain on your idea.

Then after teasing them enough - by doing what Andy suggests - and getting their blood pumping, ask them to sign a nondisclosure agreement protecting your intellectual property. Then give them the goods on your idea.

If they balk at signing, explain your concerns. If they still won't sign, leave.

Sounds easy, doesn't it.

I do like the nondisclosure agreement cconcept.

So if they do screw you out of your idea and you find out about it later on and they can't prove they already had something like this in the works then you have a claim?

Nondisclosure/noncompete contracts are the only way to go in this instance. As far as I know... if it's anything like TV, there is no legal way to "protect" an idea. Ideas are free and open to particular "treatments", but the written implementation of that idea can be copyrighted.

Hi,

Idea are free but report arn't.

Write a report, explain in it all your idea,

1)the concept
2)the detail
3)how to apply it
4)what are the benifit
5)the cost
6)if there any protocole or procedure

make an ISBN or something register it

1)then sell the report not the idea.
2)sell the license not the idea.
3)sell the exculisivite not the idea.

it is all about presentation.

Hope that help.

Thanks everyone for the great replies...

Stephen...you were correct and your analogy was right on.

Chris...I like your approach, but the problem is while I've been in the "selling game" for over 30 years, I have no advertising expertise. In other words, I'm not sure how I can get past the front door without divulging my "idea".

Vin, Abdullah...You confirmed Chris's non-disclosure idea and Abdullah took it to the next level. Can I find an example of a non-disclosure agreement on the net?

One more question...Would you approach the company or the ad agency first?

Thanks again for the advice,

Bob

I'm not a lwayer, but when it comes to ideas, they are usually not protected anyway. The only thing that IS protected is their particular expression. For example, if I wanted to write a novel about a work of art that revealed dark secrets about our civilization, it would be perfectly acceptable, provided the work of art was by Andy Warhol and the secret was a conspiracy by the Campbell's Soup company to control the Federal Reserve. If it was Da Vinci's "The Last Supper" and the secret was a royal bloodline from Jesus, and the protagonist was an American professor...well, I think you get the picture. The best thing you can do is rather than promote your idea, PROMOTE YOURSELF!

It's like I said about my business. You can't protect the idea, only the treatment of that idea. There are parallel ideas everyday.

Side Note:

Around 12 years ago when credit card companies started going crazy on these "points", I had an idea to become a branded visa or mc and instead of points, put little bits of money into a retirement account like an ira for the card holder. So, instead of saving up points to get that new river raft, you'd get $200.00 thrown into an ira... or something like that.

I ended up never pitching the idea, but fast forward 11 years and last year a couple of the credit card companies started almost the same idea. One is doing a "money for college" investment thing instead of points, and GM is doing a "money toward down payment on a GM car" instead of points.