
Ask HN: Which legal doc to stop the pitchee taking my idea? - nthState
Hi!<p>If I&#x27;m going to pitch a product&#x2F;service to a company, which legal documents do I need to stop them from simply stealing the idea and making their own version?<p>I think NDA&#x27;s cover that they can&#x27;t talk about it.
I&#x27;ve heard of things like no-compete documents, is that what I need?<p>Thanks!
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brudgers
Talk to an attorney familiar with the industry. Perhaps file a patent.

If that doesn't seem like a good investment right now, lawyering up when
someone violates the terms of whatever "idea protection" document gets cooked
up is not a better investment.

I've come to agree with the common wisdom that improving execution is better
than protecting an idea. For a customer adopting an existing implementation is
faster than building something in house. On the other hand, implementing an
idea in house may be faster than relying on an external company.

I like this essay: [https://sivers.org/multiply](https://sivers.org/multiply)

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dmschulman
No one is going to steal your idea [http://www.tonythings.com/not-worry-idea-
theft/](http://www.tonythings.com/not-worry-idea-theft/)

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nthState
What if I'm pitching to a large entity thats in the same space?

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PaulHoule
File a provisional patent application at the patent office.

If you register as a "micro entity" this costs just $65; although is good for
a PPA to look a lot like a real patent application there is no particular
requirement for what is in it -- so you definitely DO NOT need to get a lawyer
involved at this phase.

Once you do this you can also claim your invention is "patent pending".

