Plain-language summary
- You keep your ideas. We only get the licence needed to run the platform.
- Once you publish an idea, it is public — other users can discuss and build on it, with attribution.
- The original creator is permanently and visibly credited in the idea record.
- Meaningful contributors (comments, pathways, project builders, event organisers) are credited too.
- Attribution on this platform is not the same as legal authorship, inventorship, or ownership.
- AI-assisted content is labelled.
1. Idea ownership
You, the idea author, retain ownership of the creative expression in your submissions. Clap Ideas does not acquire ownership of your content.
What “ideas” themselves receive: Raw ideas are generally not protectable as intellectual property in most jurisdictions. This platform cannot and does not grant, confirm, or guarantee any intellectual property rights in any idea, concept, or proposal.
2. The platform licence
By publishing an idea, you grant Clap Ideas a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, non-exclusive licence to host, display, process (including AI analysis), summarise, translate, rank, index, and connect your content to pathways, projects, events, and discussions on the Platform.
3. The collaboration licence
By publishing an idea, you also grant other Platform users the right, through Platform functionality, to:
- Read, reference, and share your idea.
- Discuss, critique, and evaluate your idea.
- Fork your idea into pathway proposals, project plans, and event concepts.
- Create derivative work in the form of pathways, projects, and events, subject to attribution.
This collaboration licence does not include:
- The right to reproduce your original text verbatim outside the Platform without attribution.
- The right to claim the original idea as their own.
- The right to use your content for commercial purposes outside Platform functionality without separate agreement.
4. Attribution — original creator
Every published idea displays a permanent “Original idea by [Username]” attribution. This attribution:
- Cannot be removed by anyone, including the original submitter.
- Persists even if the idea is later merged with similar ideas.
- Is visible in the idea record, versions history, and on all projects and events created from the idea.
- Is provided as a platform record, not a legal guarantee of authorship, inventorship, or ownership.
If you delete your account, your ideas may be anonymised(attributed to “deleted user”) rather than removed, to preserve the collaborative record.
5. Attribution — contributors
Meaningful contributors receive credit in the Contributors tab of the Idea Room:
- Comment contributors who substantially improved or advanced the idea.
- Pathway proposers.
- Project creators and team members.
- Event organisers.
- AI-assisted content is labelled as such (see §7).
For the full rules on who is credited and how, see our Contributor Credit & Attribution Policy.
6. Attribution — merged or duplicate ideas
If two ideas are identified as substantially similar, the Platform may link or cluster them. The original submitter of each linked idea retains their attribution. The Platform records which idea was earlier and which were independently submitted.
7. AI-assisted content labelling
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AI-refined idea | The idea text was substantially restructured or expanded by AI |
| AI Research Brief | The research section was generated by AI and may be inaccurate |
| AI-generated draft | The initial project or event plan was generated by AI for your review |
| AI-classified | Moderation or quality classification was done by AI |
| Pending review | Content is awaiting human/admin review |
8. Attribution disputes
If you believe attribution is incorrect, contact legal@clapideas.com with details. We will review the record and, if supported by evidence, correct the attribution within 30 days.
We do not arbitrate disputes about legal ownership, authorship, inventorship, patent rights, or commercial rights.
9. What attribution is not
Platform attribution does not:
- Constitute legal authorship under copyright law.
- Constitute inventorship under patent law.
- Establish ownership, partnership, employment, agency, or joint venture.
- Guarantee commercial freedom to operate.
- Constitute professional legal or IP advice.
- Protect against independent development of the same concept by others.
Consult a qualified attorney for legal IP questions.
10. No confidentiality
All public idea submissions are non-confidential from the moment of publication. Do not publish trade secrets, employer-owned inventions, classified or restricted information, or confidential business information.
Public disclosure may destroy trade secret protection and may affect patent filing rights. The Platform is not responsible for IP rights lost through publication.
11. Third-party rights and infringement reporting
Do not submit content that infringes third-party intellectual property rights. If you believe content on the Platform infringes your copyright, you can file a takedown notice; our full process, including the counter-notice and repeat-infringer rules, is in the Copyright & DMCA Policy. For other intellectual-property concerns, email legal@clapideas.com.
12. Platform trademarks
“Clap Ideas,” our logo, and associated marks are our trademarks. You may not use them without written permission.