What do you do if your creativity and innovation are being exploited by others?

Creativity can not be not defined or scaled into system-relevant values. The only thing that is scalable and system-relevant is your brand as a designer, which is dependent on previous successes. #dyslexicthinking #humanbirthrights

It is most disappointing for and Innovator or Researcher (IR) to find that his hard earned ideas are being copied & exploited by others. Invariably, IR are well versed with with Intellectual property rights ( IPR) as protection for hard innovative findings during research. the IR usually are most thrilled to find innovative and new ideas and as humans would like to share with community thru publications, papers, conferences , workshop etc. Having found something useful one should evaluate what exactly is unique and valuable too (value should offset the cost of patenting & it's fees). So IR needs to get patent search that their claim is unique and has not been patented so far. this is first step to identify what should be patented as IPR.

I would say that it is like IPR leak , so as first and obvious step to find out leak points , and why leaks? then, one can work out suitable strategy and methods to correct. Sometimes it may be collogues or extended collogues thru network. As far as possible it should be investigated why leaks? are they accidental or deliberate? So, even direct confrontation but in polite manner may work. Secondly, one should have enough documentation to justify that it was own work or group work. Best is to make daily records of work done, experiments, it's setup, results obtained , models worked upon, prototypes etc. One has to design own system. Also, one may need to look for evidences for IPR leak, it's point and extend of leak

If you feel that your creativity and innovation are being exploited by others, it's important to acknowledge the value of your work, communicate your concerns clearly, protect your rights through legal means if necessary, and seek support from colleagues and resources to address the issue effectively and assert your rights. By taking proactive steps and standing up for your creative contributions, you can combat exploitation and ensure that you receive the recognition and compensation you deserve.

In today's working envoiremnet invariably we work in teams and at times with collaborative teams. It would be prudent to work out the strategy for IPR protection in consultation with supervisors. there are some standard method of IPR protection, it's utilization by collaborative partners and oath for it's protection ( NON disclosure agreements). If such methodology is built at starting stage is the best and also policy to share IPR rights or credits. In fact it is most crucial and if not settled earlier it is a tricky issues for the management to settle.

Protecting our work , the best is to keep records. It may be as simple as we created records for physics or chemistry lab ( now updated in e forms) or individual diary. It is also suggested that each day work is to be signed by individuals, and once in a week signed by supervisor. that adds strength to the documents or digital files. As brought out in Point 1, what is patentable is to be identified. Next important decision to be collectively evolved either National or international patent or also filed in countries like USA, JAPAN.. . One has to weigh between the patenting cost VS value of patent. Definitely one has to access how important & valuable the patent is? one method could be what efforts were required for it's generation.

This is easily done when you work alone and have no time table to execute an idea. Be loud about what you create. Don't hold back and don't look at others if they steal. If your creative Voice is strong no one can actually steal from you because others would recognize your Voice. #dyslexicthinking #humanbirthrights

IPR are own property and should not be permitted to be used without authorization (like licenses against costs). Having found a leak point with an evidence one has to confront , seeking the cost of exploitation. Having taken such actions they act as deterrent for possible exploitors in future. IPR have legal protection , see next point

When you don't have a defined creative Voice you can confront anyone without luck. Clarity of your creative fingerprint is your only guarantee because others even the law can see it #dyslexicthinking #humanbirthrights

Exploitation happens only in internships where your boss uses your contribution for his/her projects. This is not going to change as easily because when you are an intern you are not sure about your creative Voice and you have not enough self-esteem (not ego) yet to really know what is your style or your idea pattern. #dyslexicthinking #humanbirthrights

I believe what you can do if your creativity and innovation are being exploited by others is to assert your intellectual property rights and take appropriate legal action to protect your ideas and inventions. By enforcing patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other forms of intellectual property protection, you can safeguard your innovations and potentially benefit financially from their use.

There are those that may seek to exploit the contributions of others. Often, these persons develop a reputation for this behavior, but still may have positions of influence/power that insulate them from direct negative consequences. There is not much that one can do in those instances beyond asserting the actual origins of the work (as in cases of plagiarism) including documentation, when they occur.

First acknowledge the value of your work and understand its worth. Assess situations to determine how and when your ideas are being used without fair recognition or compensation. Set clear boundaries with colleagues and collaborators about the use of your contributions. Take steps to protect your work, including copyright or intellectual property rights, where applicable. Confront those exploiting your ideas directly, communicating your concerns clearly and assertively. Seek support from mentors, industry peers, or legal advice if necessary. Additionally, document all instances of exploitation as evidence. Consider creating a portfolio of your work to establish original ownership.

Through our lives we will feel taken advantage of a few times. But this does not mean we need to accept it. To address a sense of exploitation we need to address it immediately, starting by asking for a better balance of give-and-take. If that doesn't happen, then we need to rethink our relationship with the person in question now and in the future. At the same time, we need to reflect on how we chose to engage with the person taking advantage. Did we feel worthy of a more fair relationship (self-worth)? Did we negotiate and ensure a more fair relationship (skills)? Often when we feel taken advantage of, there are lots of clues to help us figure out how to ensure future relationships are fair.

There are plenty of them out when we're talling about content creation. Few people in this Industry are aware of Intellectual property. Most of the time, the content is used without even mentioning the creator which makes it difficult as it happens everyday. Using watermarks in your content is the best option to avoid other people using your content without recognition.