Re:Ask HN: How to proceed if you have a mind blowing idea
by michael_dorfman on Thursday June 11, 2009 @04:38AM
(#652463)
Unfortunately, without more specifics, it's really hard to give specific advice (besides the obvious, and necessary: get a lawyer).
What do you mean when you say "I want to make sure that whatever I have done [...] remains mine"? Are you writing code? If so, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where you wouldn't you retain the rights to your own code. (Naturally, that doesn't prevent anyone else from implementing the same idea).
Clearly, you need to make sure your business plan can survive changes from the big company-- if your idea is that dependent upon what sounds like a loophole in their TOS, you're odds of success are slim indeed. How do you know they don't have a team working on an identical system now, ready to launch next week?
What do you mean when you say "I want to make sure that whatever I have done [...] remains mine"? Are you writing code? If so, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where you wouldn't you retain the rights to your own code. (Naturally, that doesn't prevent anyone else from implementing the same idea).
Clearly, you need to make sure your business plan can survive changes from the big company-- if your idea is that dependent upon what sounds like a loophole in their TOS, you're odds of success are slim indeed. How do you know they don't have a team working on an identical system now, ready to launch next week?