need advice on protecting idea for application/VST/au

[infiniteB]

I need advice on protecting an idea I have for an application/plugin. If I assume correct, I would patent it? What do I need to know/do? To what degree do I need to descroibe the concept? I don't program, but conceptually think I have something on another level. I will approach companies/programmers at the right time. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Links as well.
Also, any "cheating" programming languages, like Unity is for apps, but to use for music apps/plugins? Max for Live? Max by itself (can this create a plugin that can then become VST, AU, and possibly OSX, Windows, and iOS?
Any help would be greatly appreciated...

[trevox]

A cheap way to prove you had an idea at a given point in time is to detail it well and send it sealed via registered post to yourself and don't open it. Won't protect it fully, but it is at least some evidence.

It would be extremely difficult to patent a concept for an app or plugin. For a start, it very well may already have been done. I think you would have to have something very unique in the actual design/programming to make a strong patent. And even with that, you would need to make sure that whatever your idea is could not be slightly altered to do pretty much the same thing without legally copying what you have patented. Either way, expect high legal costs if you want to go down that route. So it would want to be pretty groundbreaking as you will need to invest to protect it.

if you tell me what it is, I can let you know if it is possible to build in Max

[Forge.]

I have a mate who paid a coder to build an application for him that was specifically for his business, but has far wider business applications and I think they call him the "systems architect" because he designed the thing, and now he sells it to other businesses.

Maybe you need to find someone you can trust who will help you do it?

[infiniteB]

Yeah, I was thinking along the trust lines, possibly contractually in trust, with obvious financial benefits for not as well...

[501dubz]

dude. before you disclose your idea to anyone, sign an NDA with them. and make sure the company you disclose it to has the financials to pay the damages you require for any breach of the nda. keep a written record of the discussions had with anyone from that company. make them sign the minutes of the meeting and there'll be no vague doubts later on re what was disclosed, where, when and to whom.

after you strike a common chord in the negotiations and figure out the specs, sign a co-operation/development agreement and make sure you pay them well and in turn you get full control/ownership to all intellectual property related to the end product. before siggningg the agreement though - make sure you understand how the word "deliverable" is defined because thats what you'll end up paying for.

& voila --> commercialize the product and retire to the bahamas.

In conclusion, there's really only two things that actually stand in your way of success:

- choose the wrong partner (they cant deliver and time eats the novelty of your idea)
- dont take care of the agreements and your "partner" will end up raping your idea like no tomorrow
(third is that your idea sucks... but thats hopefully not the case)

I've seen the ugly end and the happy end of the story and I warmly suggest to follow these steps. Its that simple.

[rbmonosylabik]

+1 to 501dubz

Also learn how to program it at least to a point of it being a good prototype. If you come in anywhere with just an idea, however revolutionary it might be, and can't contribute in any other way to making it happen, you'll just get screwed over in the deal. You might even find you need much less help developing it than you thought.

Getting into coding can be daunting, so I'd recommend starting with something like Max/MSP or PureData. It'll help you see what's really needed to get your app working, and with some programming skills (yours or a partner's), will make coding it much easier.

[infiniteB]

Thank you. This is the exact knowledge I needed...