Hello,

If you make a different plan/price or different type of order style,

for example:
1. support integrated in your billing area
2. user can send a sms to you through his client area
3. user click on his "server down - fix" button and autofix script applied on his server and server will become online within few minute..
4. Users like your hosting service for your new type of features,etc..

I mean you make a awesome Idea and after few years someone steal your hosting idea and then more peoples steal your idea and your business is near to close... then what you will do?


Note: You don't have any other option to earn money..

so what you are saying that you are a host and someone near you has set up another hosting business.

well this is life and their is nothing you can do about it.

If you haven't patented your "invention" then... sorry. Someone is going to reinvent the wheel sooner or later - otherwise we would still be in the stone age.

Maybe patent it now if its not too late and make it into a something like WHMCS. Make money that way?

I'm not too familiar with the laws surrounding this myself but rather than call it a patent which is usually the manifestation of an idea in a physical form, you'll have to copyright this through the relevant authorities.

Protecting an idea itself, something which hasn't been put into action is not enforceable.

Simple lesson, got something new and smart, don't wait, go out and do it yourself before anyone else does.

I'm not too sure that's the way to go. If someone describes a huge, 2000 meters, 10000 windows, etc. building, and someone actually builds it, there will not be any copyright infringement. Ideas cannot be protected, unless you put them in a certain form so that they can be patented.

There's no "idea copyright" unless you get everything approved on paper by some government departments. I think what you should do is to improve your service or ideas and offer better support than your competitors.

You can do nothing. Without a patent it's anyone's. Think of a new original idea

Regards,

Nick.

So are you saying you're losing your existing clients to competition that is duplicating your ideas? Unless you've patented your idea, you have little recourse other than to up your game - and use the creativity that inspired those ideas to one up your competition. I heard this many years ago, and it still holds true - the number one enemy of sales is complacency. You cannot rest on your laurels.

Your support team will still be different even if they have similar setups.

The solution is age old and fairly simple in IT and as such any computing industry, you never release your latest product or idea until you are almost certain or already creating its successor. As such you can forever remain fluid and add the improvements of your competitors to your almost complete second iteration.

Computing is a funny thing and anything, one or company that sits still for too long will lose out to their competitors with the nest x or fastest y with more z... always pays to be ahead of the game.

As for patents, they are costly and while under application give away your idea allowing for the idea to be modified and reproduced rapidly unless your patent is iron clad (+ more money) additionally function and or applications are notoriously difficult to patent.

If you have a good idea it WILL BE stolen. Unless you own patents you are SOL. This is why execution is so vital! This is also why I do not like to be the first in a new market and I wait until it matures and there is healthy competition.

Overall you must show the market why your brand is better, and your clients will see that. Especially giving your clients the feeling that they are apart of the family, rather than just a client.

If your prices are a bit higher than others, you must show them why.

Its called competition, its EVERYWHERE.. It does suck, but a part of life, you have to keep battling your comps

Well, its impossible to avoid the competition stealing your ideas, even if your a massive company with great copyright/patent lawyer it seems that your ideas is never fully protected. But that's part of business life.

The only way to stay ahead of the competition is to keep moving forward.