safety of disclosure

Just wanted to hear your thoughts on this one. Maybe some of you have had experiences you can share.

How risky is it getting someone involeved in a project, reason for asking is that someone like me who knows what he wants but is still learning to program has no choice but to share his ideas with others and get them involved in helping develop your project.......... Who's to say that person doesn't just take your idea and run ?..... Particularly considering that person may be able to do it all an their own.....

Just asking ?

depends on the person, and how well you know them

thats why the professional world has contracts

I had a mate who demoed his project to a large company years ago with a view to having them run with it and pay him royalties, flat fee or whatever.

They said they weren't interested and he dropped the idea.

A year or so later the exact product was put on the market by them.

So it happens.

Most people get you to sign an NDA, as to what that's really worth I have no idea, like most things it's worth what you can afford to pay the lawyers I suppose.


Rob

It's hard to say. You will need non-disclosure agreement to protect yourself, as Graynomad mentioned. You are running the risk of letting others know your big idea or learning programming by yourself and allow others time to come up with a similar idea all by themselves while you're schooling :wink:

Will let you know my experience next spring, my card is driving this device.

15" and 31" digital pace clock

CrossRoads:
Will let you know my experience next spring, my card is driving this device.
http://www.kiefer.com/
15" and 31" digital pace clock

Awesome!

If you do nothing you make no money.
If you get help you may make money but there is a risk your idea may get stolen.
You need to try and weigh up the risk against the advantage.

If you have convinced yourself you really have a brilliant idea then you should investigate patents, copyright, contracts and non-disclosure agreements. Don't make you idea public if you think you might be able to get a patent because, once you do, you won't be able to get a patent.

People seem to manage to turn very ordinary ideas in massive profits. Isn't there a billionaire who used to live in a car and survive by collecting bottles for their return deposit who then made his money with shampoo!!!!!

Isn't there a billionaire who used to live in a car and survive by collecting bottles for their return deposit who then made his money with shampoo!!!!!

That would be John Paul DeJoria (aka Paul Mitchell)... $4B smackaroos.

Contracts are like locks. They're made for honest people.

I can't tell you how many ways there are to get screwed, but if excuses were money then I would be rich.

As far as corporations and IPA, they don't recognize that you have rights at all. They can afford more and better lawyers than you to just hang things up in court till you're too broke to fight, that's the Micro$oft model and it has worked like a charm in the US. You should see the IPA contracts people sign, it's intellectual rape. And then the

If you're going to show people something then make sure their reputation is worth more than the theft, you have signed papers and leave a hidden mike and recorder going when you leave to use the bathroom. At the very least it will make good Youtube watching.