Are there any other ways to protect an Idea, other than getting a patent? How?

If you try to skimp and the technology has great value, it will be difficult to remedy the situation down the road. The utility patent has always been the crown jewel for protecting technology. Sometimes, an inventor can obtain a utility patent and a design patent for related inventions. However, there is no common law protection for an invention (unlike trademarks protection for marks and copyright protection for authored works). In some instances, trade secret protection is of considerable value. The forms of protection are not separate and distinct, and there is oftentimes considerable overlap and several different forms of protection should be used. If you have the resources and the technology is of sufficient value, it is recommended that you consider applying for any and every form of protection that is applicable to deter your competition. It is recommended that you consult an attorney and map out a plan to protect your technology.

Other than trade secret protection, which is often not available, there is no substitute for a patent. The other forms of protection (copyright, trademark, etc.) protect different things in different ways.

You have basically two options to protect an idea, patent law or trade secret law. If the subject matter of your idea is capable of being kept a secret, you may wish to simply keep your idea a secret. The advantage of trade secret protection is that you are not limited on how long you can keep your idea secret by law. Under patent law, you must fully disclose your invention/idea and tell other how to practice your idea in exchange for your 20 year from filing date monopoly, *i.e.*, your patent rights that allow you to exclude others. After your patent expires, the public is free to use your idea. The difficulty with trade secret law is that if someone stumbles on you idea of their own accord, or reverse engineers your "trade secret" they are free to do so. But, trade secrets do work, *e.g.*, the formula for Coke is perhaps the most famous trade secret. However, extraordinary lengths are taken to protect the secret formula for Coke. If your Idea becomes obvious and no longer a secret the moment you publicly commercialize it, you should instead consider patent law if the idea is patentable. As always you should consult a patent attorney to fully discuss your situation and how best to protect your idea.

An idea is not the same thing as an invention. Your question is too broad to answer well here, but generally, what one can protect is termed intellectual property (IP). IP includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. If your questions is academic. please read a book on the subject such as one of the many IP books from Nolo Press. If you have an actual present issue, you should seek advice from an IP attorney.

The expression of an idea, such as a book, drawing, diagraph, sculpture, TV show, song, etc., is protected by copyright law. Trade secret laws protect formulas, manufacturing processes, supplier lists, sources of materials, etc. as long as you meet the requirements to keep the information completely secret.