Did you ever had such a good idea...
... that you thought about registering it and developping it for the market?
I now have an idea for a new kind of puzzle.
The first puzzles created by the computer look great and I have an additional idea too.
I mailed a puzzlebookcompagny to ask if they are interested in new puzzles.
When I am invited they first have to sign a secrecydeclaration so they can't copy the idea without my permission.
Cross your fingers for me.
(The downside for you is that due to this development my latest game I am working on will not come to you and the minigamecompo before I get results of this. Especially DP will have to wait since he will love this puzzler.)
I now have an idea for a new kind of puzzle.
The first puzzles created by the computer look great and I have an additional idea too.
I mailed a puzzlebookcompagny to ask if they are interested in new puzzles.
When I am invited they first have to sign a secrecydeclaration so they can't copy the idea without my permission.
Cross your fingers for me.
(The downside for you is that due to this development my latest game I am working on will not come to you and the minigamecompo before I get results of this. Especially DP will have to wait since he will love this puzzler.)
Post edited by Dr BEEP on
Comments
I'd imagine it could be hard to get them to agree to that... they probably get lots of people coming to them with ideas, and at this point you have more to lose than they do, so they have the "upper hand" in the negotiations.
Have you looked at patenting your idea? This is exactly what the patent system was created for (although it's been abused by everyone over the centuries, and involves all sorts of messy details like describing your invention as a physical object, so you really need to get a lawyer to do the right thing) - it puts you on public record as the inventor of the idea, so that you have a solid legal case if anyone does rip you off. It'll probably be a signal to the puzzle book company that you mean serious business too :-)
Yes, I did a patentsearch and didn't find anything matching.
As you say when I am invited the first thing is a secrecy declaration.
Then I can talk.
Don't trust them Dr. BEEP! Patent first! :)
Bytes:Chuntey - Spectrum tech blog.
Generally patents are only worth anything if you have the money to defend them.
Defending patents in court can end up as an expensive business unless you have the money upfront to pay for expensive lawyers who specialize in such things.
And the kind of people likely to steal your idea and make a profit with it can probably afford more and better lawyers than you can. Obviously it's better to have the patent (as a point of law - and your financial backer will then pay to help you defend it) but it really doesn't provide the inventor with a great deal of protection in the real world.
Just a suggestion, I have no idea about such things really.
that doesn't really happen. if you are sueing for plagarism you would need to provide drafts of your book, and statements from people who have read it before hand. the thing about mailing it to yourself is a sound idea, but can easily be faked. the royal mail will give a date of delivery, but they can 't gaurentee is the envelope has been opened after that time. showing it to a lawyer first would be the safest way.
saying that though, it's unlikely a publisher would nick your idea anyway, as they would need an author to say he wrote it. your more likely to find the basic premise is stolen by another author rather than the whole thing by a publisher.
as for the puzzle company, it's not really in their best interest to steal that idea, as they would guess the person involved would go to court, and their good name would be tarnished.
i would find it unlikely they would sign any legal document without seeing your idea before hand.
good luck though. :)
Then I thought to myself shit next time don't dismiss it as "nah nobody will want that".
Too late now, and now my ideas have dried up, now I just sit here vegetating, when I'm not at work.
We need to be clear about the difference between copyrights and patents here.
Copyright covers published works - writing, art, music, programs. You own the copyright on your work from the moment it leaves your brain and gets put on paper (or canvas, or tape, or disk) - you don't have to apply for it.
Patents cover inventions - ideas, ways of doing things. You do have to apply for these... if you don't apply for a patent, you don't "own" the idea, even if you can prove you thought of it first.
Mailing something to yourself serves as evidence (I won't say "proof") that you created it - but this is only (potentially) useful for showing that you own the copyright - not the patent rights (which you only have if you own the appropriate piece of paper with 'PATENT' written on it). If Dr Beep was worried about someone stealing his program, this might be useful - but he isn't; he's worried about someone stealing his idea.
Thingley is probably right in saying that a company with deep pockets can still make your life difficult, even if you have the patent - but it's a lot harder for them to fight the patent system than to fight an NDA that you've written yourself with no legal experience.
Dr Beep: If you think your idea is worth protecting, a patent is the way to do it. Go and speak to a patent lawyer. Seriously.
Patents are not bomb-proof protection that you're idea won't get stolen - But they are the only protection available to you.
So I would second Gasmans advice here and get in touch with a patent lawyer before speaking to this company.
Anything you've written yourself is unlikely to constitute a legal document - so if you are worried about the idea being stolen then you should go for the patent first.
They wanted a sample.
I told them about the idea but want to show them the idea.
I will hear from them.
Fingers crossed.
(If it isn't anything then it will be at least a new ZX Spectrum game)
Here in the USA you can have a company sign an agreement of non-disclosure before they see your idea/gadget. It basically states that they will not rip off whatever it is you show them.
There must exist something of a similar nature back there in the eastern part of the Western Civilised World(tm) ??? ( ;-) )
Yes there is.
BTW can I trust you all?
If so then I can release the game on WoS now.
(do you think downloaders will steel the idea?)
You could just put the game in your sig or something, then forum readers could see it.
recall which.
My idea might therefore already exist.
If so, then now it's just a question of who is first to patent it (if not already patented).
Is this the one you released as "123 Maze"? If so, I haven't had chance to look at your version very closely, but from first appearances it seems to match this puzzle, which is over 100 years old I'm afraid... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_from_the_Klondike
Yes it resembles so I am not that original after all. I did a search for such puzzles but didn't find any.
Well, I still have plans to improve it since this puzzles can be solved from end back to start and I will eliminate that option.
edit: I read that there is not just 1 exit.
The good thing is it gave another ZX Spectrum game to play.
Sorry mate. Still, lots of people rediscover things that are already thought of (When he was young, Clive Sinclair used to think that he'd invented binary, aparently).
You gave us a very good game (I think it's great). And if you do improve it then it'll eat into even more of my time ;)
Looking for someone who can make it as a cheap do it yourself project.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5SnZ_TCs2fE
I'll be honest I have absolutely no idea what you're on about?
But it's nice to see you back on WOS Dr. BEEP :)
"a mechanical calculator that works with marbles and can multiply numbers no higher than 15"
I don't get it. They did something like this more than a hundred years ago - and about 50 years ago the awesome Curta calculator was invented - which is future-tech compared to this. This is just ... too retro - and I fail to see the application today. And don't get me started on "finding sponsors" (or "I'm not showing this because it's secret"). If you have a hobby as niche as this, then you'd best do it for the love of it and not for financial gain - or even support for that matter.
I'm sorry to be this negative - but this is just ... too late.
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
In the 1960 the digicomp2 was built ( and again a few years ago). This however works with repeating addition for mulitplication. I use the way a computer does it and for educational and fun only I would see a cheap version availbale for everyone.
Do you have info about CURTA?
And back.. never left, but don’t post much. More on sinclairzxworld about my 1K hires games on the ZX81.
I'm not really sure what I meant with the "or even support for that matter" bit, but I blame beer (of which I'd had a few before coming home and writing the above) :))
Now in my more sober state I'll just add that I like mechanical machines like this. Still not sure of its application (except for fun, as you mention it also is) though. But fun is also important :)
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
Dr. Beep have you seen the game Turing Tumble? It came out in the last year or so and allows users to build simple marble powered computers. Its aimed at adults and children.
Very welcome back by the way. :)