Idea Ownership in Research Communities
Posted by Vovici Blog on Fri, Jan 21, 2011
I'm routinely asked who owns the ideas submitted to MROCs (market research online communities). While there is much talk about "co-creation", is anyone actually compensating co-creators for their ideas? How are their intellectual property rights handled?
Typically, once a community member submits an idea, they give up any rights to that idea and may not even be credited if the idea is implemented. This is usually made clear in the Frequently Asked Questions section of the community site, as well as in the terms of use. For instance, here's the MyStarbucksIdea FAQ:
If you implement my idea will I get credit?
If we implement your idea, we may give you credit on the site, but we won't be compensating customers if their ideas are chosen. To learn more about this, please take a look at our Terms and Conditions.
The referenced T's & C's cover this in a detailed and legalistic way. If you want to inspire your own lawyers to similar lengths, have them read the eight points under "Submissions of Ideas". The key language: "The submission of your Idea to Starbucks is entirely voluntary, non-confidential, gratuitous and non-committal."
This is about as fun as pouring a hot cup of coffee into your lap. While the legalese is unfortunately a necessity, a good community will go out of its way to recognize and acknowledge a community member who submitted an idea that was acted upon. Of course, that and $6 will buy them a Trenta.
See also: When Instant Feedback is Like Instant Coffee