If I'm going to pitch a product/service to a company, which legal documents do I need to stop them from simply stealing the idea and making their own version?
I think NDA's cover that they can't talk about it. I've heard of things like no-compete documents, is that what I need?
Thanks!
If that doesn't seem like a good investment right now, lawyering up when someone violates the terms of whatever "idea protection" document gets cooked up is not a better investment.
I've come to agree with the common wisdom that improving execution is better than protecting an idea. For a customer adopting an existing implementation is faster than building something in house. On the other hand, implementing an idea in house may be faster than relying on an external company.
I like this essay: https://sivers.org/multiply
If you register as a "micro entity" this costs just $65; although is good for a PPA to look a lot like a real patent application there is no particular requirement for what is in it -- so you definitely DO NOT need to get a lawyer involved at this phase.
Once you do this you can also claim your invention is "patent pending".