This easy-to-make `thing` has world-wide use & is graphical can display images and 'cause no1 has done it before that's why you don't see it out there yet! i could make it public domain too maybe.. its based on a very simple universal concept I've basically discovered over years of playing with advertising as a hobby 'n there's lots of other ideas to get out into the open and maybe many people have the same problem - why should protection stop you from getting an idea out, without losing your original rights to it ? your answers + help and ideas;)/views/experience on this is appreciated tanx
[i cell chat mobile and am on msn secreteagle@hotmail.com if u wanna discuss short points on this -- would rather be on yahoo chat too if i could find the right cell/mobile free chat J2ME jar MIDLET the one i got un42n8ly only does msn]
Hi Secret Eagle, You are already well versed with the patents and copyrights. The thing is that in case you want to make money, you got to Patent. However, patenting does involve a lot of money, generally people hire attorneys to make their case strong for consideration for a patent. In case you want to make money, you will have to shed some initially, but then looking at the mass usability of your invention, you can definitely get profit.
However, I can suggest you a better and more cheaper alternative. I am from India. As a child, I too used to frequent out in science fairs, with models on Robots to Compression Algorithms winning some commendable prizes with IBM, Infosys, Department of Science and Technology, National Geographic, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, etc. You can check them out at http://cs.dal.ca/~koul/
In government run fairs, there used to be a scheme, that all the inventions, models that have been shown, were protected by the government from copying, i.e. if someone saw an innovator's model in a fair and went home, copied the idea and went further to patent or market it, he could easily be penalized by the original innovator, through the support of your government. The government has been an earlier witness to the innovator's model and is responsible for its protection.
Another thing, you can sign a non disclosure agreement with any party with whom you show the invention.
In case you are giving it in the public domain, I suggest you go to the appropriate officials in your country and do ask for some monetary benefits as you wish, looking at the benefit it will give to the common masses.