How do you protect your ideas?

James: How do I present my idea with assurance that I will not have someone run with it without me being involved?

This is a difficult thing to do, especially if you can’t patent a design or plan. The cheap man’s method of copyrighting is fairly simple.

Get your ideas down on paper. Assemble as much information as you can and date it. Place those documents in an envelope and then mail a copy to yourself. When you get it back it will be stamped by the Post Office with a federally recognized date stamp. it’s important that you do not open this envelope. Simply stash it somewhere safe.

In the event that someone steals your idea, you take them to court and at the trial the judge will open the letter and see that the idea was in fact assembled at the on or before the date stamped on your envelope.

It’s not bullet proof but it would definitely hold some weight should you need to prove yourself as the true owner of an original idea.