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[sfsesar]

Hi,

We have an idea, that we assume to be patentable - we haven't spoken to a professional, but based on research, we believe it to be patentable. The
"idea" itself requires the assembly of a team, consisting of four different disciplines, in order to prepare a business plan for investors. Our concern is disclosing the idea to a team of contributors, thus minimizing our chances at obtaining VC funding because of disclosure risks.

My question is: how can we protect our idea from the perils of disclosure, prior to assembling this team and reading the vision or "idea" out to them?

[George White]

Not legal advice. NDA would be the usual way to handle it. Still not legal advice.  Actual advice might also include talking to a patent practitioner and possibly having a search done before you bank too much on the "idea".

--George

[patentsusa]

I've had team members sign something like an employment agreement agreeing not to disclose, agreeing to discuss potential inventions with IP counsel, assigning all IP rights, waiving moral rights under copyright law, and agreeing to sign all documents necessary to perfect the rights.

[rts]

I suggest filing a patent application before showing anything to the team, in addition to the above suggestions. You will avoid any bickering down the road about who invented what. Of course, you can file more applications later when the team contributes something inventive beyond what you've already done. At any rate, the first application will demonstrate what the invention was before other minds got involved.

[klaviernista]

An NDA would certainly be appropriate in this circumstance.  As would a Joint Development Agreement with narrowly tailored (both in technical and geographic scope) non-compete clauses (assuming you are not in CA or some other place where non-competes are almost completely unenforceable).

As for who invented what and when, a patent application would suffice.  But so would a detailed journal or lab notebook that is suitably authenticated. 

Make sure your meeting is held someplace suitably private.  Public disclosures are IP killers in a lot of jurisdictions.