There have been talks everywhere about a kickstarter-like platform here on the steem blockchain. Infact, some upcoming blockchains has that as their very agenda i.e adding the decentralization factor to enterprises like Kickstarter! But is this really possible with blockchain?
Look at steem for example; it is the most amazing blockchain out there and basically, the only one that has a full-fleshed working community and social platform; just the perfect environment for a kickstarter, you would say! Also, fast block-time and no fees etc
However, on steem it is very popular to see someone start an idea today and the very next day, an exact idea is published by someone else. For example, the voting bots can very easily be called an innovation idea and must have been started by someone before the advent of many more bots with practically the same model. It is true that ideas are not protectable but a prototype does have some form of protection especially, if blockchain becomes involved
One would feel, being the first to publish it on the steem blockchain, which is indestructible, verifiable; has a community (witnesses); a reputation system etc will him give some form of protection or patent for his prototype.
On steem however, it looks like the above isn't the case or is it?
Does steem being open-source etc removes any room for invention protection. It is not uncommon to see something you start, taken up by someone else the very next day and overtaken completely and usually, the reason given is that steem is open-source.
So how will a kickstarter work on steem for instance?
A kickstarter may simply a startup looking to raise funds with help from a community. One would feel that would outrightly work on steem.
Most of the people doing kickstarters are likely start-ups on a limited budget; thus, innovation involved may not even have a patent yet and the inventor is looking to raise money to likely accomplish that.
So what happens when he publishes his invention on the blockchain and the next day, another person decides to pick it up and continue it, likely get a patent for it because he has to funds to?
Is there any form of protection by means of the decentralized steem blockchain to make ideas get some protection or is it totally impossible because the steem is open-source?
Even if one doesn't have the means to protect his invention in the real world under real laws and governance by means of expensive patents etc, can't steem easily serve that purpose being that it is a decentralized blockchain, with a community?
What are your thoughts?
Nice post.@arifulsms
Thank you
I would not expect the blockchain to provide you any legal protection. A person really needs to look into their own local government laws and use those to protect themselves the best they can. Kickstarters, in general, leave people open to others with more resources to beat the company to market and claim rights. It's not unheard of for someone to start a Kickstarter on one of the more popular sites and then end in legal troubles themselves for not doing there due dillengece and protecting there invention. Companies have in the past just go to their manufacturers they have in China for produce and manufacture the product out before the kickstart even finishes there the first wave of funding. People always need to take into account their own local laws and hire a lawyer and a team to protect themselves. One should NEVER trust or expect a kick-starting platform to protect them in of itself.
As far as voting bots? That’s not an invention created because of Steemit. There been voting bots around for ages in the gaming world, for contests, for a lot of things that came way before Steemit ever did. I’m not even sure you can legally patent the “idea” of a voting bot. I’m sure there could be things within the voting bot that could hinder other from creating an exact thing and maybe those process could be patent. But I’m no expert on the patent law so I will end my thoughts there.
Seemit won't get involved for the same reason on this as for the same reason as a downvote is vailed simply because “the blockchain allows it.” Besides if Steemit starts trying to provide protection to things that people do not legally own that opens Steemit Inc. up to legal suit. You have to deal with your local governments and protect yourself that way. You got to remember at the end of the day there are such thing patent trolls and they have millions they can toss into a court battle without notice if they think they can get more back out then spent. Steemit is not a patent house with a team of lawyers at their disposal to uphold things.
First:
A patent doesn't protect shit. If you are a little person, the biggest waste of time, resources and energy is to file for a patent.
The thing that busts all patents is prior work.
So, if you have an idea, and you publish it here on steemit, it is almost iron-clad that you had the idea on the date it was published. Thus, no one can file a patent (that will hold up in court) after your publishing date.
All ideas, once released are forever in the public domain. Ideas propagate like that. You can't stop it. Trying to stop it is trying to stop nature. Trying to stop a hurricane by shouting at it.
All ideas are not really our own. Each one of them occur to several people all over the planet. The Wright brothers only beat a Frenchman by two weeks in creating the first powered flight.
I know that doesn't answer your question, but your question has no direct answer.