"I Thought Of That First!" – Can You Patent That Bright Idea?

Ever had that momentary flash of genius where you had an idea so bright and radiant that it lit up the space above the latrine you were sitting on and you couldn't help but exclaim "Aha!", to the horror of the occupants of nearby cubicles?

What if that idea was related to something that would change the way things work or provide a solution to the world's problems? What next?

You would think to yourself that this idea is so brilliant that certainly nobody else would have thought about it, and you start making a business plan out of this idea, then realise that somebody else is bound to copy it. And the thought that some copycat is going to rip off your idea is plainly unforgivable.