<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jasonb007:
I have been creating advertisements for fake companies. For example I did a creative ad for a lemonade company. I want to show my idea to a real company but am afraid they will just take my idea and change it a little, or claim that it was just an idea, therefore not copyrightable. How can I present advertising ideas to companies without them stealing all of my ideas?
-Any help or reference material would be appreciated!
-Jason<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Check with the US copyright office for info and talk to some ad agencies and inquire of them as to how they do it.
On each of your ad copy drafts make sure you state at the bottom Copyright 2000 Jason B______ All Rights Reserved. This will not entirely protect you but it is a start. There are many gray/grey areas on proving copyright infringement and idea infringement such as use of words or wording, idea conveyance, themes etc.
For instance if you created an ad and presented it to the company but they did not use it but made their own from your idea, could you say the idea was stolen? Example: you created and presented the ad idea " If life hands you lemons, make lemonade." The potential client does not hire you but you see their ad later which reads, Make lemonade, if life hands you lemons." I would think you have a good claim here.
I have thought of some ads myself for real companies. SAAB vehicle ad headline: The SAAB Story. And a new cigarette brand called Less. The ad Headline: Smoke Less!
