Ripley, About your original question... you may want to check out this thread. http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?threadid=240670
I posted the following in another thread asking about patenting trading systems..... 01-08-09 10:37 PM Quote from jellob: Problem #1: ...Is there some sort of arrangement in which I can maintain ownership? Problem #2: I should have legal protection. Nonetheless, what is the likelihood that he will steal the idea and write the code himself? Remain independent and work for him as a contractor keep your method as a Trade Secret. If you do become an employee insist on an agreement that the intellectual property and derivative products are yours alone. A patent for a trading system does not offer a lot of benefits for the following reasons: 1. 18 months after you file the final patent application the details of your patent become published for all to see. I could take everything in your patented trading system and trade it for myself without any problem as long as I do not sell it as a product. 2. Trading systems are very hard to patent because there is very little new in the trading world. If challenged the prior art could be a real problem. I doubt you have done a complete search of past literature in this area. A patent has little value until it is tested in court and that takes a lot of money and years. 3. Trading systems like other 'process' patents are harder and harder to get. Google patent + Bilski 4. If you filed your final application tomorrow it will take 3 to 4 years before it reaches an examiner. That seems to be a long time and once again your idea gets published in 18 months which cannot be reversed. Suggestion: Trade it yourself - keep it as a 'trade secret', do not disclose details without an NDA. If it is valuable, then treat it as if it were. The only people who think patents are any help today are patent lawyers and people who know little about the subject (IMHO). Good trading.
I'm just going to trademark the name. It will be an added marketing asset for my firm. Thanks for all the HELP !!!
And I'm up 70% in the last 3 months. The main difference is that someone knows and can verify this with a third party, and you are relying on us to take your word for it. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. This thread is alarming.
If the name is good, trademark it, get a web domain at godaddy.com, get email for it at gmail, open fanpage for it on facebook, and new twitter account.