Questions, answered

A commercial concept that someone would normally expect to pay for. It doesn’t have to be patentable; it just has to be an idea the target company hadn’t previously thought of (or can’t prove it had) that it would like to use — saving money in logistics, a way to re-position their brand, a way to lower HR costs. If they’d normally be expected to pay for it, it should be paid for, not stolen.

An idea or Comcept™ has value if its use is commercial. The idea is yours, not theirs. They can’t use it without your say-so. If they use it after being told it’s your concept without paying, that’s theft — and Ideas Union will prosecute for theft and damages.

We say yes when the answer to three questions is yes. Is this theft? — does our member own the Comcept, and can we prove it was presented, known to be confidential, and used without payment? Can we win it? — is the matter clear rather than legally “grey”? And can they pay if we win? — do they have enough money or assets to satisfy a judgment?

Patenting is a global and local protection system for commercialising an idea, but you can’t patent an idea already in the public space. We encourage the patenting route where it’s financially viable — check with your patent attorney. Ideas Union protects ideas up to the point of commercialisation, against theft rather than copying (which is what patents cover). A word of caution: starting the patent process broadcasts your concept globally.

No. Insurance gives you set-criteria certainty. Ideas Union collectively spends whatever it takes to protect members and prosecute thieves — but only where the idea is yours, the other company can’t prove prior possession, they stole it, and they can pay.

Yes. They’d prefer good ideas didn’t go to their competitors, so most intelligent larger companies welcome Ideas Union members and their Comcepts™. The bigger company will likely negotiate for the lion’s share of the profits, and larger groups tend to like the certainty Ideas Union brings.

The backing of major litigation funds, plus thousands of members paying for protection, means millions ready to fight cases. We’ll almost always have more money than the opposing company.

We want to prosecute fully, but criminal proceedings are a police matter. We instigate civil proceedings — loss and damages, breach of contract, breach of confidence, unconscionable behaviour, abuse of market power, and more. In civil cases where a crime is proven, the court is normally obliged to refer the matter to police. We push authorities to prosecute theft, fraud, destruction of evidence, perjury, tax evasion and embezzlement. The threat of senior management going to jail — and companies not wanting theft on the public record — is why almost all such cases settle before court.

Our main role is deterrence — making it easy and attractive for companies to deal fairly with members so they get paid a reasonable amount. That means more ideas presented, and we expect great leaps in innovation globally.

Idea theft is worldwide. A company can take an idea from Australia or the United States and use it in Brazil or Germany, so protection has to be global too.

A board of professionals who are members of their relevant associations, many having served on boards or as chairs. Their backgrounds span law, engineering, IT, marketing, public relations, IP protection, market research and science.

AI is part of the plan for retrieving “proof” points in legal cases — for example, the exact times a contact was shown your Comcept™ and agreed confidentiality. But Ideas Union protects strictly confidential Comcepts™ that are not in the public domain, so AI can’t find or track them. AI may support background work, but it’s unlikely to negotiate with senior people or be a credible witness in the medium term.

The more proof and detail you save into each Comcept™ file, the easier it is to prove you created it. Save iterations, whiteboard notes and drawings, early sketches, meeting notes, presentation versions, emails and texts, and Zoom recordings. The deeper and wider the evidence trail, the better.

Professional associations ensure members meet strict criteria — degrees, ongoing courses, and continuing standards. Membership signals a quality idea. There are no exceptions: if you’re not in a professional association, you must join a relevant one within six months of registering a Comcept.

Accountants, advertising agents, agricultural consultants, architects, barristers, botanists, builders, cartographers, chefs, chemists, chemical engineers, chiropractors, copywriters, dieticians, designers, developers, doctors, electrical engineers, garden designers, horticulturalists, human resources professionals, illustrators, inventors, IT consultants, lawyers, marketers, mechanical engineers, mediators, medical device makers, neuroscientists, nurses, nutritionists, physiotherapists, policy writers, psychologists, public relations professionals, occupational therapists, sculptors, software builders, surgeons, surveyors, systems designers, trainers, vets, writers and zoologists — and more on request.

Yes — through an hourly-rate service for “pre-deal” arrangements only (the industry standard in Australia is around $500 per hour at 2026 rates, and varies by jurisdiction). “After theft” negotiations are undertaken at 25% of the negotiated win, once a theft is detected and the member has tried but failed to reach a satisfactory arrangement.