Member Avatar for reilly4three

I have a well developed and well thought out idea for a website, and I want to run it by someone who might want to take me up on it. What do I do?
Thank you!
reilly4three

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— worrying about "giving the idea away" is normal, but the legal reality matters: copyright protects the way something is expressed, not the underlying idea, and patents can cover inventions only if they are novel and meet technical criteria (and that process is slow and costly). See the U.S. Copyright Office for what copyright covers and the USPTO for patent basics (Copyright Basics, USPTO - patents).

Practical steps that reduce risk and move the project forward: create a concise, one‑page problem/solution summary that omits the secret mechanism; time‑stamp your drafts and wireframes (version control, cloud timestamps, or dated exports) to show origination; and validate demand cheaply — a landing page with email capture or a small ad test will prove whether people care before you invest in full development. If building it yourself is possible, low‑code/no‑code tools let you produce a clickable prototype quickly.

On NDAs and hiring: was right that agreements help, but enforceability and cost are real limits. Use a narrowly written NDA (define what is confidential, set a reasonable term, list exclusions) and combine it with staged development contracts that include milestone payments and explicit IP assignment on completion. Vet developers, check portfolios and references, and prefer vetted marketplaces or small firms for stronger payment and dispute processes. For practical legal guidance on NDAs see ; for hiring safeguards, look at established platforms (Upwork hire developers).

Quick checklist:

  • Draft a 1‑page pitch (problem, target user, benefits — no secret details).
  • Time‑stamp/specify your work (commits, exports, cloud saves).
  • Run a landing‑page test to collect signups.
  • If hiring: require milestones, IP assignment, and a focused NDA.
  • Consider a no‑code MVP to retain control while you validate.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for Dani

Let us know what it is? Post in the Website Reviews forum. Post in the IT Job Offers forum? I'm not sure without more information. :)

Member Avatar for reilly4three

I'm afraid of giving the ideas away. This may be an illegitimate concern, but I don't really know where to go with this. Are there companies that take on website ideas?
Thank you
reilly4three

Member Avatar for etechsupport

If you have some unique idea you can come up with a website using it.

Member Avatar for DianeD

You might want to run it by someone you trust that knows how to build websites. That's what I would do.

DianeD

Member Avatar for reilly4three

Thank you for your advice. It's the most useful advice I've gotten thus far. But, no one I know knows how to build websites. I'm stuck!

Member Avatar for DanceInstructor

Find someone local to you. Get a non-disclosure agreement written up. Make the local web designer sign it before talking talking to them about your idea. Then at least you have some legal recourse if necessary.

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