Hi, Here is a general question I would like to ask after reading the discussion on "protecting inventiveness":
How is it possible for a small business to protect their ideas? Under a small business I mean a really small one: two guys in a garage or so. I wish I was wrong but I think that this is not possible. A small business doesn't have enough resources to solve this problem. My current approach to the problem of protecting ideas: "do not do it" (well, almost). It is better to fail because someone "steals" "your" idea than to fail because you spend time and money trying to protect it. The net result is the same but the first way is much quicker :) Patents? In the majority of cases they are for big companies like arms race is for big countries. A patent is just a piece of paper and it protects nothing until a court decision is made. I think a small company is better off spending their very limited resources on something else but drafting patents and defending them later in the court (which seems hopeless). Non disclosure agreements? It is a mater of a goodwill of a big company to honor the agreement and there are many ways to workaround NDA. Again, it is a matter of resources if one wants to draft an NDA and then to ask a big company to sign it. They may even refuse to talk to you if you start from NDA. Here is a more specific question along same lines: How would you sell a product to a big company? What would stop them from implementing a similar thing by themselves or outsource it to their partners? The only one thing that helps here is when the idea is well executed. But, by definition of a small company, an idea can't be very well executed (no resources). Any thoughts? Prove me wrong. Dmitri. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach Australia mailing list. Guidelines on discussion: http://tr.im/ujKF No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself: http://tr.im/ujMm To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia?hl=en?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
