Hi all-

I have an idea for an online site and would need to hire a programmer to build it. Do you have any ideas how I can protect my idea? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you very much!

Andrew

Great question. As far as I know there are no ways to protect your idea. Because after all you have to tell them your idea in order for them to let you know if it can be done and the price involved. Perhaps see if there is a contract you can sign before speaking with them directly about your ideas that will protect you and your ideas. Best of luck!

Go with someone who has an established history of creating large websites for their clients. Sign a contract if you are able. Just take little precautions like that and you will be much safer.

A signed NDA often helps. Good luck!

-mike

Are you sure it's not already done? what ever you do don't tell the Mark Zuckerberg.

lol @ Jaber

I second the NDA notion before talking about it with a potential contractor.

Are you sure it's not already done? what ever you do don't tell the Mark Zuckerberg.

LOL! I wonder how many will get that joke. Clever, Jaber.

-mike

Go with someone locally who has more to gain by building his or her portfolio than by stealing your idea.

NDA's are fine and good, but they really work better for major companies that have the legal muscle to enforce them.

Go with someone who has an established history of creating large websites for their clients. Sign a contract if you are able. Just take little precautions like that and you will be much safer.
+1

An NDA is a good idea but don't' rely on it to protect you unless you are specifically dealing with a local programmer. The legal expense of going after intellectual property theft in another country would most likely be cost prohibitive.

Try going through a programming firm thats established and reputable.

And which ever avenue you choose to take, make sure the programmer signs an NDA (nondisclosure agreement) as others have suggested.

Or learn to be a programmer :)

Hi all-

I have an idea for an online site and would need to hire a programmer to build it. Do you have any ideas how I can protect my idea? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you very much!

Andrew

NDA would help, but prob go with someone who you know and can trust well too. Its also good to hire a programmer who is of your reach and contact.

Normally i do hire people whom i know rather than finding for a new one.

You'll need the programmer to sign an NDA and a Service of Work contract. You can find the SOW at elance but you will need to alter it.

As before though, look for programmers with history in programming large sites (from the ground up!) or who can give solid recommendations from known members of the community :)

Its best to make an agreement which says that the ideas you mention are purely yours and not of the Programmer.

IBM used to do that for all meetings with its suppliers including Microsoft ! (Read that in a Book)

First of all, use well-known and reputable company, that has service agreement and moneyback policy described officially. And sign NDA with the company.

That is regular practice actually, some of our customers sing agreements prior to providing any information about their projects.

Go with someone locally who has more to gain by building his or her portfolio than by stealing your idea.

NDA's are fine and good, but they really work better for major companies that have the legal muscle to enforce them.

I agree here. I've seen too many good ideas and trade secrets slip out into others hands. There's no safe way to protect purely online anymore so trust in a company with something to lose by breach, whether its local or not. Local is definitely more appealing so you can sit down and face to face with the folk you hire.

Hi all-

I have an idea for an online site and would need to hire a programmer to build it. Do you have any ideas how I can protect my idea? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you very much!

Andrew

I don't see how you can protect your idea, if you're going to show it on a public web site.

Anyone who sees the site can take the idea and implement their own version.

Ideas are not intellectual property; you cannot protect them. You can only ptotect inventions via patent, or a particular expression of an idea via copyright.

Hi
When dealing with a companies idea which is of a delicate nature we sign a NDA before we meet up with the client to discuss the ideas.

A few issues which you may have not considered though.
1) Once your website has launched how will you protect your ideas.
2) If its a website to advertise a new product, is the product adequately protected through trademarks and patents.

Jonathan Fielding
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