I have a few really good business ideas that I am going to propose to different companies. I want to make sure that if I tell them any idea they won't try to do it without including me as a partner and that if they decide not to do it that they wont share the idea with anyone. What would be the best way of doing this to guarantee that anything I tell them will not be shared or that they won't steal my idea? Any help is appreciated
You could try an NDA. I'll admit the limits of my knowledge on it extend to just about knowing what it is, I presume it would hold up in court etc. You could also go the slightly more cumbersome route of just obscuring the important details
Non disclosure agreements hold up well in courts but try to avoid a non-compete ageement unless you have a lawyer write it. They don't hold up in court as well. You can also try an old trick. Write up your idea and mail a copy of it to yourself registered mail. Don't open the envelope. If you have a problem, it can be unsealed in court and you can prove you had the idea first. Shows date and time.
if you offer it to a large company, try to get in contact with the ceo/cio/.. or someone else very up high in the hierarchy.. usually these kind of people know it's not worth the legal action stealing your idea and they are allowed to make you a partner.. if you only contact someone very low in the hierarchy, there's a much larger chance the person has no authority to make a partnership, or he will say it's his own idea when presenting it to his own managers..