HN Explorer

You've changed the world - now what next?

4 points by najirama ↗ HN
Suppose that while working on something mundane, you stumble upon something that is brilliant and could change a field, nay, the world if it indeed is what you think it is. Suppose also that this something is related to a field in which you have no clout and no formal training - a field in which contributions from perceived dilettantes are ignored with abandon. The question is twofold:

1)How do you share this information with the world, overcoming the perceived noise from people like you? 2)How do you protect this brilliant result from theft?

14 comments

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david927
First, if you have no formal training there could be something you're missing, so don't get your hopes up too high.

Second, find out "if it is what you think it is."

I wouldn't worry as much about protection until you're further along. Despite what you think, if this is truly revolutionary, you can scream the idea from the rooftops and no one will care. If something is within the expected field, research is all over it, but if it comes out of left field, it's not given a glance.

najirama
That is all well and good, but it doesn't answer either question given the suppositions.
david927
Fair enough but that's because the question contradicts itself.

1) Sharing the information isn't that hard; the internet is amazing that way. Sure most people won't get it, but if it has value, enough people will. But if it's as good as you say, you'll most certainly lose control of it. If the idea helps a lot of people, this is the way you should go.

2) You can stay quiet and when it's done, talk to a lawyer about IP rights. While this ensures you maintain control, it also will slow down the development.

Either way can hurt you or help you (and the idea). In the end, the decision is yours.

najirama
Im interested as to where the question contradicts itself(?) In any case, the "perceived noise" question 1 alludes to is precisely the noise coming from the internet; that is, the internet makes it much easier for dabblers from all over to overstate claims. Oddly, it is this same noise that made me come to the internet in search of clever way to announce - an odd duality...
noodle
1) publish it, and/or publish it with a co-author with clout in the field. that would require you to prove the idea to someone with clout. 2) if you plan on monetizing the idea, create a company and have the people you release the idea to sign non-disclosure agreements.
jgrahamc
1. You have to decide whether this is something you need to protect for financial reasons. If so, patent, copyright, trademark or whatever before you tell people.

2. If it's not, then just publish the darn thing.

najirama
Ok - I guess then the question is HOW do I publish the darn thing?

A radical example for clarification: Say you discover a method by which the HIV virus can be detected one day after transmission with 99% confidence...and you live in a homeless shelter. While an exaggeration, this example shows(hopefully) that there is an initial resistance when an idea comes from an unlikely source. What method of publication best overcomes this resistance?

jgrahamc
I would get a patent on it.
ericb
You can protect your brilliant idea from theft by executing. Alternately, patent it and be a litigious SOB, but this requires a patentable idea and substantial money, typically.
eusman
you can always patent it yourself with a fraction of the cost, nobody knows your invention better than you.
marcus
Unfortunately patenting something is very difficult to get right by yourself, learning to write patents properly is much like learning your first computer language without the benefit of a compiler or interpreter. There is a very strict syntax (for example any text in a claim after a dot is ignored) but no obvious way to break your patent into claims (think function declarations) wording is critical, as is segmentation into claims.

It is possible but it will consume a lot of time and effort be prepared. Luckily there are some good books on the subjects "Patent It Yourself" is worth a read as is "Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks for Dummies"

eusman
if you have discovered something invaluable then the last people you need their opinion is ours.

unfortunately though, you dont know what you really discovered until you tried to implement it, and most of the times thats where failure lies.

so implement it and protect it if it works then let the world/us know

Hexayurt
Nobody can steal what you choose to give away. If it would save or significantly improve lives, publish it under some appropriate license (try GFDL) and then start telling people.