If it's a good idea execute on it properly, brand it properly and make it the 'standard'.

Ideas are easy, it's the execution that is hard.

If you don't execute on it, eventually someone will 'discover' the same idea and do it. If you do execute on it and it's good/popular they will clone it.

Make yours the first/brand name version.

Brainstorm how to do it right then make it happen.

Good luck.

I agree with CyberFonic.

What is the purpose of "protecting it"?

Isn't "protecting it" at cross purposes to making it go viral?

The best protection is first-mover advantage. Take more market share than any competitor can easily gain back, and do it quickly, preemptively. Attach your brand to it somehow; that way your brand becomes famous and the kudos will attach to you.

People worry a lot about protecting their precious ideas when they should be implementing them to see if it's what the market really wants. Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Good implementers are not.

Best of luck, I hope what you've got is transformative.

Thanks. I wonder if I should apply to YCombinator since I already have the prototype ready and can aim to get a few users in next 2 weeks and then submit?

Sure why not? The team at YCombinator are very good at getting ideas into commercial reality. If they agree that you have a great idea, then you'll get massive support.

If you can’t stop people copying the idea then it is not a good business idea. A good business idea is one where at least one of the following hold:

1. The idea is hard to replicate quickly.

2. It can be patented or copyright and you have the resources to enforce these rights.

3. The idea has first mover advantage allowing you capture and retain the market.

If you don’t have one of these you have a good idea, but not one that will make any money. True good ideas are rare.

The only known protection is for the idea to fail big time! Then nobody will want to copy it.

If your idea is truly as simple and lucrative as you perceive, then no matter how much protection you apply somebody will get greedy and find ways around the most comprehensive protection measures, being illegal is never a consideration if there is big money to be made.

Even if you weren't against patents, I would advise against it unless you have a lot of money to secure international patent protection and then you will need even more money to sue the many infringers. Patents are really for the large corporates who don't even blink when paying their lawyers millions.

Open source is good, but are you prepared to invest the time and effort for little not financial reward? Of course, you could become famous, but that also needs luck to be on your side.

Since I am not affiliated to a big corp I guess 'power' dynamics skew against me more than 'financial' criteria.

I think if I can't make money, I should consider being famous.

It is something like you had invented a car shield wiper. You can't write a paper about it. I think I'll just make a blogpost and hope it gets some reputation.

Forget about protecting the idea. Protect the business built on it via execution.

As said, first mover advance. In addition do the key-alliances in advance in the market or industry you want to deploy your product/technology and keep it simple and good enough to kill any competitor.

You could also try to become the standard referal in the community of hardcore users you want, such open source, early adopter geeks, mac fanboys or whoever you are targeting, but remember you can't be liked by everyone and copy/competition is a natural part of success.

So basically chill and do my best. Thanks.

I am in a similar situation, only that I already executed my idea and I am already being copied:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9206629

Hoping to get some opinions on how to go forward.

Regarding your question: It sounds like you only want to execute the idea for the money. I think: Either love the idea so much that you do it no matter what, or find some other idea that you can do for the love of it.

No, actually the other way around. I love it so much that I am delusional that it will succeed and thus I think I should make money of it.

If it's a good idea, people will copy it. Nonetheless, you have one thing in your favor, and that's a head start. You develop it right the first time around, and leave little room for the competition to improve on the service. By the time the competition arrives on the scene, you already have a user base that's growing.

Thankyou. Very useful. Should I apply to YCombinator?

How ever you bring something new, there will be definitely somebody out there to copy it or even bring out a better version of it. But, still if you want to make it a startup, you can. If you are not, then opensource it. PS : if you think its really disruptive, then i would suggest you to go ahead and bring out a startup !

Protecting a copy-able product comes down to brand, distribution and user experience.

Pick some businesses such as Coca Cola and look at why they are so successful with such a replaceable product.

What is the idea?

Prototype it and Open-Source it.. make it a big hit. :) make India proud in Opensource space :)

I am going to do that, I hope.

if it's a killer idea why don't you just do it? Technically you can't patent "ideas"

And once it's done, there's no reason someone else won't execute it another way.