Intellectual Property Theft

It is hard to copyright ideas, especially if you're inclined to be open and share information like me. I've experienced it several times... perhaps even "regularly" in my working life ranging from banging on about something that was implacably opposed whilst I was working in a job but implemented as someone else's idea within a month of me leaving. Or there's the practice of asking applicants for ideas that are given to the winning applicant to implement or a bigger organisation starting something spookily like something you've shared with them.

I'm definitely a sucker in this: I buy into the community development thing completely. I see that the way for small not-for-profit community development organisations to have real impact is for them to share ideas and resources and to work together as much as possible. It makes no sense for organisations to effectively compete with each other for a share in a shrinking funding pie. I think the best way forward is to assess the resources of partner organisations and to overlay that onto a map of a community's needs, to agree which partner will deliver which services and to collaborate to deliver them. I share my plans and ideas throughout my contacts seeking their comments, criticisms and corrections. I do not copyright those papers. I invite partner organisation representatives to join steering groups to represent their own organisations and engage their members. I hope they will either be supportive or ignore the idea, I never expect them to 'rebrand' ideas as their own.

Last year my company completed a project that had taken me years from conception to raising the funds and then to deliver. I was really pleased that the people I wanted joined the steering group despite their flaky attendance at meetings and occasional responses to correspondence. The project finished but is on-going: it was designed to continue to grow with continued access to information and resources. To my mild surprise growing daily to indignation, one of the members of that steering group is now hawking a project so similar as to be embarrassing, but they seem oblivious and have been asking me for contributions to it. I'm not talking about a stupid person and I do not see them as malicious but I am open-mouthed at their apparent inability to empathise about how I might be feeling about it. This new project is securing funding from different sources to redo work we've recently completed. Weird. So much for "creating a legacy".

Pretty clear indications that our main planned project has been killed. No chance of me recouping the money I put into it which leaves me vulnerable to mortgage arrears on my own house again.. -Perhaps I'll get some when the funds come in. Or I suppose I could take up the Geordie challenge of "I've never done it with a black lad, like" and go on the game! I can see myself parading around Bigg Market on a weekend in leather pants and a tight teeshirt lol.

I've been told of a building in better nick than the one we've been trying to develop that may offer most of what we were trying to do, I will see it next week. Having come a cropper with no written agreements I ain't committing to nuttin' without a notary! Having a meeting today about things I'd arranged to go to the original building. Ironically the core ideas came from Garry and I want him to know what I intend to do and that i will acknowledge and include him in any developments if it is possible and appropriate. I don't know what, if anything will be done to support the two local young entrepreneurs I've been supporting from my own pocket till now. It sounds as if they're irrelevant, but that is conjecture: the owner hasn't responded to my correspondence so it might be interesting. I've reviewed the work I've done since last October and its not inconsiderable. Some of the applications I've submitted are very specific and will have to be withdrawn, but there is enough to keep the company on track, thank goodness.