Protecting a business idea!

[johnGR]

Greetings forum,
Is there a way to copyright or somehow "protect" a business idea in order to present it to possible investors/sponsors?
I am not talking about a new technology or somekind of art.
Its more like a group of buildings that provide a certain service under a common theme. Like a big theme park with a unique theme that doesnt already exists.

Hope you can help me out here.
Thanks in advance,
John.

 

[tranquility]

You can get them to sign agreements to that effect. But, when you get down to it, a business "idea" needs a ton of work before it is useful. There is a story told of a college lad named Federick Smith who opined in a paper in his economics class about delivering packages in a hub and spoke way where all packages go first to a central hub and then out from there. Now, that business is FedEx. But, the concept was well known long before. It was the work in the nitty-gritty details that was worth something, not the idea itself. Everyone's got an idea. It's not until that idea becomes a unique expression that it can get a copyright or becomes an invention that it can get a patent. Look to invention websites on how to change that idea to an invention.

 

[johnGR]

Thanks for the quick answer tranquility.
Really appreciated.

Cheers from Greece

 

[tranquility]

My mistake. From my best friend who is an IP attorney, the U.S. is one of the few places where you can get an idea patent. I'm sorry for my error. I should have said the standard response when a state is not included, "U.S. law only."

 

[quincy]

In addition to what tranquility's IP friend told him about idea patents in the U.S., you can also take advantage of non-disclosure agreements, signed so that you can share your idea with others without fear of someone disclosing it or taking the idea as their own to run with it.

Yiamas.

 

[johnGR]

So, i guess a non-disclosure agreement is the way to go, at least for the time being. Is there a standard text/form of that kind of agreement quincy?

 

[quincy]

Will you be presenting your idea to U.S. sponsors/investors, or will this all be done in Greece?

Either way, you can find forms online to pattern your own non-disclosure agreement after, but you really should have a professional work with you on it, to make sure the agreement covers all that you need it to cover.

By the way, I added "yiamas" to the end of my other post, thinking it meant "cheers" in Greek. It doesn't, does it?

 

[johnGR]

By the way, I added "yiamas" to the end of my other post, thinking it meant "cheers" in Greek. It doesn't, does it?

haha yes it does! Didn't catch that the first time

Thanks again for the info guys, you 've been really helpful. I'll of course seek a professional's advice on that matter, just wanted to have a quick look of my choices.
Yiamas xD

 

[quincy]

You're welcome from both of us, johnGR. Good luck with the development of your idea.