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Original post by Silvermyst
An ''NDA'' being... ?

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Non-Disclosure Agreement. If you''ve done some types of beta testing, the company may require you to sign one; that''s the way most people end up signing an NDA. In this case, I''d use one that would require somebody reading my design doc to not disclose any contents of the document.

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Original post by rfunches
Say I''m floating my idea for a game and write a design doc. US Copyright Office, obviously, doesn''t copyright design documents because they''re simply well-thought out ideas. But couldn''t you just have the design document notarized as proof of when the idea was put into design doc form and what ideas were in there, giving you a chance if a company stole your idea?

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Copyright law protects the original text. it doesn''t protect the ideas in the text. As soon as you write something, you have the copyright, no need to register.

if you want to protect the ideas presented in your document, yuo would have to patent the ideas. Or else someone could just write out the ideas in their own wording, using none of your text, and then copyright law is powerless. It''s only meant to protect novels or music.

Bottom line noone''s interested in an Idea only the implementation of said Idea.

it''s true, all game companies don''t want design documents from people who don''t already work for them. You can start hiding your design doc by NDA after you implement at least half of it, so the press won''t see it and start giving away spoilers to your player base.

Usually unsolicited design docs or concepts go right to the shredder - unopened. If you want it read you´ll have to sign an NDA which states that they will not steal your idea and that you can´t sue them for similar ideas already under development.

But please don´t worry, nobody steals ideas. And if you really, really think that your idea is so special, then simply don´t tell anyone about it.

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Original post by Hase
And if you really, really think that your idea is so special, then simply don´t tell anyone about it.

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But if you don't tell anyone about it then what is the point of having it? Ideas are boring if you can't share them.

[edited by - Hexus on October 10, 2002 11:05:56 PM]

and if you want to share it, what''s the point of protecting it?

US Copyright Office, obviously, doesn''t copyright design documents because they''re simply well-thought out ideas.

>Who says? You (obviously) have not been to the Library of Congress copyright office website lately. There is more than one form of document to copyright, and they provide forms for most everything you could put into the words. Did you ever think of putting in the name of the document you copyright the words, "Insert My Game Name Here Game Design Document"?




But couldn''t you just have the design document notarized as proof of when the idea was put into design doc form and what ideas were in there, giving you a chance if a company stole your idea?

Notarization is not a bad idea, but there are more effective ones.

What''s the point? New ideas are a dime-a-dozen, I have hundreds of them every day! If a company thought my idea was good enough to steal, I''d be flattered.

If I thought the idea was good enough to act upon - I''d act upon it and not go around showing to everyone hoping they don''t steal it...

If I had my way, I''d have all of you shot!

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codeka.com - Just click it.

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Original post by Dean Harding

If I thought the idea was good enough to act upon - I''d act upon it and not go around showing to everyone hoping they don''t steal it...

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Except for one problem...I can''t program for crap!