Inventors are people who drive the entire human race forward with the power of their mind. Without their attention to detail and thousands of hours of experimentation and effort, we wouldn’t be where we are at right now.
Sometimes even the simplest inventions can make such a great difference in the development of our society. Just take a look at the wheel, and you’ll realize how something so simple can manage to change the way hundreds of thousands of generations live. Not that the wheel was easy to make, but only one person can come up with the idea, and the question is always who will be the first one to do it.
Modern inventors are a bit different than those in the past. Nowadays we have to focus on making much more complex inventions, or we’ll never be noticed. There are so many people working tirelessly to bring their products and ideas to life, but there’s one thing that makes things a lot more difficult, and that’s money.
However, the focus on today’s article won’t be funding your invention, but something that should be done even before the funding part even begins, and that’s protecting it from theft. If you’re looking to learn some more about this, feel free to stay with us until the end. Let’s take a look.
Why protection?
You see, it’s quite easy to get your idea stolen by someone who has money and can use those funds to bring it to life a lot quicker than you can. If something like that happens, society will remember that person as the one who came up with that particular invention, even if you were the first one to think of it. It doesn’t matter who wrote it on paper first because people only remember who brought it on the market and made it available for them.
Also, idea-theft is something that happens quite a lot in these modern ages. So, with all of this out of the way, let’s take a look at some of the methods that you can utilize to protect your ideas.
Don’t share it with anyone
It might sound a bit easier than it is, and we know that, but you should give your best to not share your invention with anyone until it’s fully protected and ready to go. Usually, people get hyped when they think of something cool and innovative, so they immediately want to tell their friends. However, this can be a huge mistake, especially if you tell it so someone who wants to abuse your creativity and use it for their cause. ThriveGlobal.com is a website where you can learn some more details about the protection of valuable ideas and achieving goals.
The reasons why people tell their ideas to others is either because they want to get feedback from them, or they’re asking for help, either in a financial form or in the form of constructive criticism. Either way, you should avoid doing it as much as possible.
Ensure that people know you as the original creator
Now, this is the part that’s helpful to all those who have to share their ideas with the public, whether because they need funding or something similar. One of these examples is crowdfunding campaigns created on sites such as Kickstarter or GoFundMe. If you decide to do something like this, we advise you to do everything it takes to let the public know that this is your idea. The internet “remembers”, so everything that’s posted there will serve as evidence for a very long time, use it to your advantage.
If the Kickstarter campaign has your name on it, and people know that you are the one who came up with that invention, idea, or whatever it is that you’re trying to get funded, it will be quite difficult for others to steal it. There will be always at least one person that will back you up and point others to the evidence.
Sign agreements with your partners
Signing agreements is a great way to ensure safety to both sides. If you are looking for a partner to help you bring your newly-crafted idea to life, or you’re just looking for funding from an investor, agreements are the way to go.
Now, we don’t say that loopholes in the law don’t exist and that hiring a very good lawyer cannot “bend” the situation in the favor of the person who has a lot of money, but, this is still a very solid protective measure. Agreements are easy to craft, you can do them all by yourself. They can be as simple as NDA’s in which both parties state that nothing private will ever come out until the product is finished and selling on the market.
Sometimes investors will ask you to sign other types of documents before they give you money for your invention. Make sure to review these thoroughly and possibly with a lawyer by your side, it can save you from getting scammed.
Do a background check on your investors
Last but not least, it is very important to do a complete background check on your investors to check if anything “shady” happened with them in the past. For example, companies such as Tencent are known for a lot of information-stealing done in the past, so other companies nowadays are quite careful when it comes to collaborating with them. We’re not bashing on anyone, just stating an obvious fact. Reputation matters, and if someone is known for stealing the ideas of others, you should avoid collaborating with them.
Conclusion
A solid invention can help you achieve a lot of wealth, but what matters the most is to bring it to life without allowing anyone to steal it out of your hands. Things like these happened in the past, which is why we decided to inform all of you about the importance of being careful, and taking every extra step towards the perfect preventive measures. Remember to stay safe and keep inventing.
