Who do you trust?

[Allea]

I had an idea about 8 years ago...I was really young, my mother (wonderful hippie/gypsy lady) had passed away already from cancer and my father...he's like some Indian jazz musician I get a $100 check from like 4 times a year with no return address. (the point being I didn't know who to ask about anything having to do with the world)
My idea was for a candy...
I loved Legos (the plastic building blocks) as a young girl. I built castles and ships and had a few 'Lego kits' with knights on horses that allowed me a few childhood dreams.
One day I thought "Hey! What if they made candy that was shaped like Lego building blocks so kids could build things with them before they ate the candy!"
I actually wrote it all out and set it off (with hand drawn pictures) to like 3 different big candy companies.
Only 1 replied and said it didn't seem like a 'feasible idea' since the candy blocks would break.
I accepted that explanation and for like 6 years forgot about my idea until one day...lo and behold!
Candy blocks! (Lego Block Candy with a different name)
In the stores...my idea...made by one of the companies I sent my idea to...who never replied.
I could never prove they stole my idea...I didn't even try...I was just a kid.
I have since read extensively about trademarks, patents, copyrights, etc...
Basically, I don't have the $3000 to just even start a patent. (I'm not asking for donations...lol)
But I do have alot of great ideas as well as my true passion of writing songs...
I'm afraid now to send my ideas and/or songs to anyone anywhere for fear that anyone out there who only wishes to make a buck will steal my idea.
Wow...sorry this is so long...
The main point is, how do I share what I create?
How can I know it won't be stolen or if it is, how can I prove it was mine first?
I know patents and all that...but they cost money I don't have...I need to sell something to afford the patent on the next idea I have. (Catch 22)
Also...I wonder how many other people are really creative, but don't know what to do with what they create...
I guess I'm not looking for answers (but if you have any they would be greatly appreciated)
I simply hope I get some feed back on any one else who understands what all this rambling is about or has been through similar things and feelings of lacking trust in who you can talk to about creative ideas you have.
I am sooooo sorry this so long...I fear it will scare some away.
Anyway...smile!
At least I still have my health... *cough...gasp...cough*
Oh dammit!

[Cosmic]

Well there's always the "Poor Man's Copyright". Basically, you need to mail your creation (or evidence thereof) to yourself via recorded delivery. That method will give you a post mark, and most importantly a date. You then need to deposit the package in a secure place; for example a safe in your local bank. If there's ever any question as to the orgin of your creation, you can simply withdraw the package to prove that you thought of it first. That's arguably the easiest and cheapest way to do it.

[Xaenn]

Well, as far as a patent, you would need to file for that, as in the case of the candy blocks. You patent ideas, but specific creative works are copyrighted.

For creative works like lyrics, they are automatically copyrighted when you create them. Filing a copyright is a good way to be able to prove that it is your work and you did so on such and such date. But if you can't afford that, then do things that make it clear you did this at such and such time. For instance, my brother wrote a novel he was trying to get published. He mailed the novel to himself, and left it sealed. Because it is sealed from that date it is proof that he had written it before the post marked date. I'm working on a project in which I have numerous backup cds which are dated with work I've done on them, as well as I have backed up many things through e-mailing them to people I'm working on the project with. Those messages have clearly logged the date and time they were done. If you can prove that you did the work before the person who stole it, then that's the best way to protect what you've done.

Cosmic: You are an evil man.

[Xena]

Sure, Im creative, Ive been in a situation simlar but not as bad as that. My poems were published without any stealing and what not, but I never recived any money for them, I was promised a $100 cheque for them, and a $1000 cheque for them if they took off, never heard from the publishing firm since. I never bought the book, they told me what it was called, but I didnt care at the time. Ive forgoten a long time ago.

Since then, I know it not the same mabye, but I spend my time inspiring other people, in the things im good at, Football (Soccer) The bible obviously and whatever else I do in day to day life, Whether its hard hounest work or taking time to help others.

Its probably not what you was hoping for, but thats me.

[Allea]

As far as the 'poor man's copyright' of mailing things to yourself...
Have you ever heard the old old song 'Rockin Robin'
"Sits in his tree top all day long...rockin and a boppin and a singin his song...
Rockin Robin...tweet...tweedle a tweet...rockin Robin"
The lyrics were something like that (before my tme)
My father told me when I was little that he knew the man who wrote that. The real man who wrote it...
The man who wrote it mailed it to himself and felt safe...took it to whatever big music company eventually made it famous.
The music company then had a different person sing it (It's been remade a million times since that I don't know who that was...one of those 60's famous bebop pretty boys)
When my father's friend took them to court over the rights to the song, the music company produced their own papers that they had notarized by someone obviously on their payroll which showed that they had a writer who wrote the song like 3 weeks before my father's friend said he did.
It was actually fought out in court but eventually the original writer obviously didn't have the money to compete with high end music business lawyers.
The man who really wrote the song eventually committed suicide...he was so depressed over feeling that anything he ever did would be taken by 'big money'
Now, my opinion...he should have kept trying to write since that was his passion instead of basing his worthiness on one song. (which relates to agreement with Xena's reply)
But...
Mailing things to yourself is only as good as the lawyers you can afford to prove that a big business music industries lawyers didn't falsify records or notary stamps or ...
I wonder who can afford better lawyers...me...big music...me...big candy company...me...
There are guys who stand in the background of rap videos (not even the true artists) and wave their arms around saying 'Yo!' 4 times and nothing else...that's their entire contribution to this world.
They made more money last year than I did.

I don't care about money...but I don't want anyone saying they made what I created. (Or anyone stealing anything from anyone else...this isn't actually about me, my talent or my ego...it's about how to protect people's creative rights)

Maybe if I slept with alot of 'producer like' guys and wrote songs say 'Uh! Oh! Baby let me take your clothes off!'
I would be famous by now...but that's not what I want to remembered for...

[Roux!]

Maybe if I slept with alot of 'producer like' guys and wrote songs say 'Uh! Oh! Baby let me take your clothes off!'
I would be famous by now...but that's not what I want to remembered for...

Hey, it worked for me!

"Hit me baby one more time"...? It was mine...

[djnickname]

Since I have no money to put copyright on my tracks I use recorded delivery sometimes because I want to send it or give it to record labels and dj's and I don't want them to steal anything from me ( or the person who I work with).
They can always steal it but one day I can prove it's mine and believe me , if the record company ( or another company) is seeing that you have potential to be creative in what so ever they'll never try to steal it , because when you are getting big on any way and you will sue them with evidence and they'll be screwed then .

[pkt-zer0]

Do not create things for money. Create things for the sake of creation. Otherwise it wouldn't be fun.
I mean I don't care about things being stolen/lost/destroyed that I made. I only worry about things that I made through hard work. The two must not always be the same. I've already got the reward that is the happiness of creating something, afterwards it does not interest me. What I make that could be possibly sold for money - well, that's evil. But big money can screw you over any time, and that sucks pretty much.

[djnickname]

I don't care about money for my creations either , but I'd the like to make some money with it in order to keep myself alive and that I can live with it.
The first place why I make music is because I want that everyone can listen to it and if it's been played in clubs or at party's ,people will dance on it and go wild

And for the stealing part ( part's of a track for an example) , it can go 2 ways in your mind.

1. If you hear that they stole something you know you're good , otherwise they won't steal it.

2. You realize that it's your weeks of effort in it and it's something what only you made because it's unique , and other people start making money on it , and that's not fair because in the beginning you're willing to give it away for free if it has to.

So it's just how you look at it.

[KnightofNachos]

As per the topic title:

Very few. I've been betrayed far too many times to lend out my trust. Some people follow the doctrine that you should trust people until events merit otherwise. I am the other way around.

As per the actual subject:

The only thing you can patent about food is the name. For future inedible prospects, I cannot give advice as I have no idea how the bureaucracy works concerning that matter. I would keep my ideas clandestine until they're ready to be sold, however.

[brit]

Honestly, copywrite infringment is something I'll never be a victim of. I don't write anything so the only way you can steal my shit if you actually record me freestyling.

[ncxtreme]

Well there's always the "Poor Man's Copyright". Basically, you need to mail your creation (or evidence thereof) to yourself via recorded delivery. That method will give you a post mark, and most importantly a date. You then need to deposit the package in a secure place; for example a safe in your local bank. If there's ever any question as to the orgin of your creation, you can simply withdraw the package to prove that you thought of it first. That's arguably the easiest and cheapest way to do it.

I had a friend try that method one time (he is a song writer), but after he received it back in the mail he opened it (BIG MISTAKE). A few weeks later he heard his song on the radio being performed by Randy Travis (the song is Three Wooden Crosses). He tried taking Randy Travis to court over it but the judge just threw out the case because the envelope had been opened and had no proof that this was actually his song. Point being, if you use this method DO NOT open the envelope unless you absolutley need to.

[Xaenn]

I had a friend try that method one time (he is a song writer), but after he received it back in the mail he opened it (BIG MISTAKE). A few weeks later he heard his song on the radio being performed by Randy Travis (the song is Three Wooden Crosses). He tried taking Randy Travis to court over it but the judge just threw out the case because the envelope had been opened and had no proof that this was actually his song. Point being, if you use this method DO NOT open the envelope unless you absolutley need to.

Yeah, opening it really defeats the purpose of it...

[djnickname]

DO NOT open the envelope unless you absolutley need to.

And that would be in court.

[Miro-kun]

I was at comic-con and I was watching a panel on copyright laws. It may not be relevant to this conversation, but as it turns out, if you create an original item, and sell it so it becomes known within your community, even a little bit, you automatically own a copyright over it. Just a brain fart, but it might be helpful for anyone else.