How to protect an "idea" before testing the market?

whatnext

I have an idea for a product in the tech space, its really quite simple operationally, and a simple "plugin / addition" for one or two existing products out there. The one key aspect to the product is that it is an easy one to monatise. It would never be a million € product but it would be scale-able in the irish and uk market at a minimum.

Realistically I see it as an add on to an existing product, so my question is how do I protect myself and the idea before approaching the company with the idea?

I have no tech background, but a lot of experience in this particular business area. The product would solve a recurring problem ( and it is a real problem).

I appreciate I could be dismissed as a fool by the company I plan to approach, but its such a simple fix that they could run with the idea without me, even as a free add-on.

Dades

Is it something you can patent? Will this idea work independently of another company's product, or are you reliant on partnering with them?

There's not much you can do to protect it bar developing it yourself or getting some intellectual property rights.

tacofries

If you are not willing to pay the costs of gaining intellectual property before testing the idea out then the best way that I have found is to simply message people saying that you are looking for advice on an idea that you have. Meet with them and give them a slight overview of what the idea is and if you feel you can trust them then just go with it and expand on the details. If you gut tells you they are not trustworthy then just cut the meeting short. Obviously try and get them to sign a non-disclosure agreement first. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go telling the idea to somebody that is already directly in the space that you want to be in but maybe somebody that would be on the outskirts of it and who wouldn't have all of the resources necessary to steal your idea.

If you are willing to spend a few grand on IP then meet with a few different patent attorneys (first consultation is usually free) to see what their thoughts are. Going for a provisional patent might be a decent option which would cost you around €3,000 and would then give you I think 1 year to apply for a proper patent. A lot of the time patents are pointless for tech though...

One last thing I would say is that if you are not going for IP then bite the bullet and trust somebody. It is dodgy but some people are so worried about their idea being stolen that they refuse to take any meaningful action resulting in any possible progress becoming massively slowed down. This is my own personal opinion so there are other posters that will have different thoughts on the matter.

Either way, put a deadline on when you are going to have your mind made up on what action you are going take and then take that action. Don't let the issue drag on as people can often be paralysed by the fear of an idea being stolen.

Good luck!

ironclaw

Speaking from experience, I've had two realizations about "ideas":

- Its probably been done before or broadly similar. This isn't a clear cut indicator of viable or not viable. The person before may just not have had the push to drive it to acceptance, or they did, and the idea just isn't as viable as one thought. Likewise there is nothing stopping you from entering a market and doing it better, especially if you competitor is established and comfortable.

- Most people generally arn't out to steal ideas and very few have the means to actually steal it and make it viable. I've bounced ideas off a few people and they usually have so much going on in their own world they couldn't care less about starting from scratch. I think Ireland is somewhat sheltered from the sharks that would be seen in say the likes of the US. Very few people in Ireland would have the golden mix of skills and resources to take your idea, develop it and implement it. You can ultimately control who sees the idea, so play strategically and talk to people who would have the knowledge to validate but not the resources to implement e.g. Don't present to the C Suite of your main competitor