From what somebody said, go talk to them, be calm tell them you feel cheated but put in mind your going to get an evidence ( go with a recorder to record your conversation). I guess you would know what to say to make them say they are sorry and maybe try to negotiate and that would be your evidence in court .good luck in whatever decision you take

Galads: From what somebody said, go talk to them, be calm tell them you feel cheated but put in mind your going to get an evidence ( go with a recorder to record your conversation). I guess you would know what to say to make them say they are sorry and maybe try to negotiate and that would be your evidence in court .good luck in whatever decision you take

The best suggestion!

That is first lesson of you life. FRIENDS TEACH YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO KNOW WHILE THE ENEMIES TEACH YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. Forget it, I know you can still develop a superb programme that will be far more advanced than the one stolen from you and give it out for free by that you have render the previous programme useless.

The best advice I can give you as a developer, is to develop the application and offer it for free to all the eateries is Lagos for the first six months, then afterwards negotiate a payment plan with them.
Or give them discounts for example if the eatery has 14 branches, tell them to pay for just seven and get the remaining seven for free.
The point here is to outsmart the Big corporation.

Next thing is to add some newer modules to your own version and ensure that it is world standard and marketable.
You can contact me if you need an idea of modules that you could add to your own version to make it better

and if you need to assemble a team of developers, Seun can be of help. Let us discourage all these big companies from cheating young developers.


Cheers

obakovich:
x pat,when next u get an idea register it with d nigeria copyrights commission bfore givn out ur idea dat way if they steal it u can sue and make a fortune off dem.

even if he sue them na court they go dey 4 donkey years til man pikin go die

@Poster, have you heard about trademark? it's a law (which also operate in Nigeria) which protect your ideas and whoever uses or wants to use your idea pays for it. So, pls in future, before going around, sharing your ideas with anyone, go to Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment and register a trademark......

Seun: You can still benefit from the idea by claiming credit for it. You can ask them to credit you as the originator of the idea for a little amount of money (don't be greedy) in exchange for an agreement promising not to sue them. Even if they refuse this, you can still use your story to convince IT developers that your other ideas are worth it, but you need to bring some skills to the table too. Marketing, etc. Nobody will invest in you if all you have is an idea. What's the company's name and the name of the product?

x-pat cannot threaten them with a lawsuit because I am sure he does not have the legal backing for it. What makes the idea his? Nothing. No evidence to show.

To all idea owners, learn from this. Get your idea patented before selling it even to your friend. Go to Nigeria Copywright Commission. It's just N6,000. To save yourself the stress, you can a hire a lawyer to that for you. I am presently in the process of patenting an idea.

Let me start by saying that a lot of people have itemised things you could have done to avoid this situation. I cannot lay my hands on such thread but please permit me to re-introduce them. When you want to a firm to buy your idea or pay you for your idea you must have protected the idea under the law, patent, trademark, industrial design, copyright etc after which you will now sign an NDA with the firm. If you did not do the above, your case will be tough. Please develop a new Idea and follow the steps above.

If you ask them to sign an NDA they will just tell you to get lost. The best you can do is have something to offer so they will have a reason to hire you along with your idea. Nobody is going to buy a mere idea, because anybody can come up with an idea or get ideas for free from the Internet, forums like Nairaland, etc. There are about 6 billion heads in the world and they are all full of ideas. People will not pay for what they can get for free. Forget about that. The real value is in the development, validation, and execution of ideas.

Is quite un fortunate indeed. U knw d endemic trait in d live of a corruption nigerian,u single handedly went ahead and give him ur ideas. Brother lets call it a spade- a spade. 4get it! If u were asked to get a lawyer, where is d money to get one and whats d probability dat d lawyer would nt av his cut from d unscrupulous MD. Let GOD fyt ur battle for u. Im a web programma. U can folo me on twitter. @kennyjims

1. There’s only 1 way to protect an idea and that’s through contractual means by having the recipient sign a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA). An idea is not the same as an invention. Ideas are almost worthless. The implementation of an idea is where the worth is.

2. Companies that manufacture products will typically not sign a NDA from someone walking off the street because they don’t know what you’re about to tell them as they could be working on a similar idea. Why would a company open themselves to a lawsuit when they don’t know if you have something of value to tell them? However, developers will usually have no problem signing a NDA because they implement ideas for a living and do not sell products.

3. Almost all the legal comments in this thread so far have little to no value.


If you want to go the litigation route, you will have to prove that the company had a duty to develop your idea but stole it instead. This also means that you will have to prove that they didn’t know of the idea or thought of it beforehand. Even then, I think you will still have an insurmountable battle on your hands because the proof has to be more than he-said-she-said.

Next time, if dealing with developers or someone that you’re going to pay to develop your idea, you have to get them to sign a NDA; otherwise, you’re SOL (sh*t out of luck) if they steal your idea.

If dealing with companies that manufactures a product, you almost have no choice than to get an actual patent (design, utility or copyrights) if you want to protect your invention before disclosure but if that’s out of the question then try getting a prototype even though it will offer almost no protection except maybe trademarks.

The product or idea in question will determine the kind of patent protection you will get because they protect different aspects of intellectual property. Utility patents protects how something works, design patents protects how something looks (ornamental aspects), and copyrights protect written or recorded words.

Seun: If you ask them to sign an NDA they will just tell you to get lost. The best you can do is have something to offer so they will have a reason to hire you along with your idea. Nobody is going to buy a mere idea, because anybody can come up with an idea or get ideas for free from the Internet, forums like Nairaland, etc. There are about 6 billion heads in the world and they are all full of ideas. People will not pay for what they can get for free. Forget about that. The real value is in the development, validation, and execution of ideas.

+10000

@gulfer.....i think il go with you,find a loop hole in the program since u have very good idea about it ,build a hack program and use it to your advantage.

[size=14pt]Jump and shout! you win! they lose! Your Ideas must then be great!

Never Never meet anyone (even your brother) on this again...You have done one, just know you can think more.

If only you gave next five years of your life to computer programming, I mean 10hrs everyday reading from HTML to C++ to PHP and C# for 4hrs and build/test for 6hrs right in your room. All you need is a N50k PC, constant light (like 5hrs daily) and a friend that is ready to give programing ebooks anytime you want it....my brother I bet you, you will buy the same IT firm before 2020...TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.....Ideas rule the world, but thieves hunt them[/size]


Buy this book around Ikeja (Along) "The Dream" (Gurbaksh Chahal) and read it...I just got one now and still more left....it will boost







.

Kobojunkie: @Poster, write your own program and offer it up for free to the same marketers and such.

.

This is the best idea so far and I hope you consider it.

Career Improvement: Let me start by saying that a lot of people have itemised things you could have done to avoid this situation. I cannot lay my hands on such thread but please permit me to re-introduce them. [b]When you want to a firm to buy your idea or pay you for your idea you must have protected the idea under the law, patent, trademark, industrial design, copyright [/b]etc after which you will now sign an NDA with the firm. If you did not do the above, your case will be tough. Please develop a new Idea and follow the steps above.

This is exactly what I thought the first time I read the thread yesterday. I actually visited the thread again in wonder to know whether we don't have the patenting/copyright stuff in Nigeria and I am glad this poster made good comment about that.

To poster.
If you can develop that, you can develop more fantastic ones or take the advice of some programmers here and make it more sophisticated/better version. More grease to your creative elbows dear.Next time patent your stuffs before you go marketing yourself along with your idea. How on earth did you sell your idea verbatim to another like that, you shouldn't have given out all info about it.

If you had initially sent your idea via email and they acknowledged getting it, you could be on your way to earning millions. Hope you also have an acknowledged copy if you sent in a hard copy

Ivynwa:

This is exactly what I thought the first time I read the thread yesterday. I actually visited the thread again in wonder to know whether we don't have the patenting/copyright stuff in Nigeria and I am glad this poster made good comment about that.

To poster.
If you can develop that, you can develop more fantastic ones or take the advice of some programmers here and make it more sophisticated/better version. More grease to your creative elbows dear.Next time patent your stuffs before you go marketing yourself along with your idea. How on earth did you sell your idea verbatim to another like that, you shouldn't have given out all info about it.

Nigeria has patent protection laws but it is worthless because they only check for formality and not substance. For example, there's no expertise to check if your computer program or self-propelling wheel you just invented is similar to something already invented in the past by someone else. They only check to make sure that your names, address, etc are correctly filed.

South Africa is the only African country that I know will real substantive patent prosecution. If a Nigerian in Nigeria has an invention, I would advice the person to contact a South African law firm or Nigerian law firm with South African partners for help in prosecuting the patent.

Luckily, whatever is filed in South Africa can be enforced, if you so elect, in 145 Countries that are signatories to the Patent Cooperation Treaty, which includes Nigeria.

http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/pct_contracting_states.html

Here’s an article on IP protection in Nigeria. It’s just boilerplate stuff and doesn’t really tell you anything more than the basics.
http://nigeria.smetoolkit.org/nigeria/en/content/en/303/Intellectual-Property-Rights-in-Nigeria

To those suggesting copyrights, copyrights only protects exact duplication of your code or derivatives of it. For example, if you copied a code I wrote for restaurant management and you changed it superficially to be used in hotel management.

In the OP’s case, like I said earlier, he can only be protected by contract law (NDA, trade secret) since he didn’t have a patent.

I left out a lot of details because thoroughly explaining the process with all the possible permutations will take a whole day to write and even then, it won’t be generic enough to apply to every case.

The truth is Nigeria needs a lot of help in intellectual property law reform. There is no way the present IP laws can be implemented or enforced.

Hmmm…this will be a great idea for a seminar for the legislatures, attorneys, business, and scientific communities!


Here are some topic-related articles
https://www.nairaland.com/917649/could-this-growth-catalyst-nigeria

http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=82368

I advice next time you have such an idea, get a lawyer to help you patent it. Copyright laws exist in Nigeria but since you probably do not have any written down agreements with the firm, you might not be able to take any legal actions. Sorry anyway and hope at least the paid you something significant, that might as well be an evidence.

let it go. I had my idea stolen once, they even used the domain name I came up with. Now I am working on a bigger and better idea.

Hi Xpert,
Its a pity what has happened, but then again, its also a good thing! When something bad happens that seems to want to break us, it's really a motivation force for us. Every thing I know today, was because of some dissapointment which motivated me to know more. So right now, its time for you to develop and market your own idea.

Its a shame that in this country, there is no platform for guys like you who have brilliant ideas, to implement them without being involved in the process themselves(so if you have an engineering idea, you should be an engineer, a software idea, a programmer etc) where as in developed counties, you can actually be paid huge sums for having your idea used and not even being involved in the implementation of the idea.

What you need is to have the software developed for you, but its you that will market it yourself so that you can first reap the benefits of its sales.You could even be a vendor and sell the product to IT firms(Of course copyright protection will be implemented to prevent the software from being pirated). It will be difficult, but it will work.Yes its true that established IT firms have the resources to market the product better than you, but you see, what is good and useful, is simply good and useful and everybody that is chanced to see the thing will know that he/she needs to get it cos it will be good and useful for his/her business! How I wished you met with some programmer first before you went to the so called "big" company. They simply looked for a way to put you out of the picture so that they could have it all for themselves!(Pure Evil! )

But you see, since you are the originator of the idea, its your passion that will sell the product. The product its your baby and like any good parent,you and only you will know how to improve on your brain child-that's what the it firm cannot do. They will not be able to make an effective "Version 2" because the idea wasn't theirs, but you can add those magical features to your own version so that even if the two products stood side by side, it would not be a matter of choice for the client to pick the one he/she wants cos yours will have all the extras that the other guys could not think about.

So that's the solution to your problem. Get your idea on paper.Do reach me @ sweetpawn(at)gmail.com so we talk more. Do not be sad, it's just life's way of telling you that your idea is the stepping stone to your life's success and that you should endeavor to implement it at all costs.

Your like a programmer-less Bill Gates with great ideas, that's why the Good Lord provided folks like us who can take away the "-less" for you! It will be well!

Just now remembered my experience with stolen idea/design, the current EFCC logo is my point of reference. There was an advert in the papers in the year (2002 0r 2003-can't remember precisely) to design a suitable logo for the establishment and I committed all effort (being unemployed then, fresh out of NYSC) into coming up with the Corel-Draw design having all the elements you see on the current EFCC logo. We were told to submit both hard and soft copies (in a diskette), which I did; needless to say I never got called or notified after my submission. I am 80% certain that the elements on the current logo were from my idea/design. I moved on and later got a job but the sad experience derailed my going full time into graphics and animation; however one advice for you is that do not quit your love (programming) because of the sad experience you are going through.

P.S:
One of these days, I'll sift through my old papers and diskettes to see if I can get the design and pate on NL.

^^^
Pls do! I would love to see the original concept! It would be such an irony that a body supposed to serve justice and promote fair-play would themselves be unscrupulous!

@OP what @kokojunkie told you is the real koko.
If u need a well rooted web programmer, lets chat.

Sorry about that bro,its better to work with freelancers,that way you can have an agreement and work together.I am a Web/Software developer.You can reach me on 08132409600 or Pohema1987@gmail.com.Regards.

LOL.
Always draft an NDA before you discuss such things.

surveycash:

x-pat cannot threaten them with a lawsuit because I am sure he does not have the legal backing for it. What makes the idea his? Nothing. No evidence to show.

To all idea owners, learn from this. Get your idea patented before selling it even to your friend. Go to Nigeria Copywright Commission. It's just N6,000. To save yourself the stress, you can a hire a lawyer to that for you. I am presently in the process of patenting an idea.

if i may ask, is that patenting going to be within a local context? Say in Nigeria only, while ur ideas could be used somewhere else outside Naija

Danyl:
if i may ask, is that patenting going to be within a local context? Say in Nigeria only, while ur ideas could be used somewhere else outside Naija

Good question.Also how one sure that what he or she is actually gonna patent hasn't been developed or is in the process of being developed somewhere else.I have had so many ideals in mind(even working on them) only to see on TV that such program has been lunched already.

All I could decipher from the original poster was that he aproached them with a brilliant IDEA but could not meet the DEVELOPEMENTAL COST charged by the firm. The firm went ahead and developed a working program and marketed it.
Now unless the OP is saying he has a patent on his IDEA then I don't see what he is complaining about. Its not like they stole his codes or anything.