How to maintain the confidentiality and authenticity of a business idea?

If it is allowed in your country to register an idea as a trademark or as a trade name, have it registered. Registration of this kind is usually done by the Department/Ministry of Trade/Industry. If registered, this will give you a little protection. If used by others without your permission, this can help you make a claim. But also try to ask for more information about this matter from the office of the Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) in your country. Usually the IPO is attached to the Department/Ministry of Trade/Industry. If you think that your idea is really hot, why not try to also form a legal body you fully control? This is another layer that will protect and promote your intellectual property. And should people invest in your idea, there is immediately a legal body that can accept and make full use of the investments. Friend Raj_Gupta, these suggestions are in addition to what the others are advising you here. I hope for your great success.

You can copyright it (write it down, post it to yourself and don't open the envelope it arrives in - the postmark will date it). You can also ask anyone you show it to to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and a confidentiality agreement, which should include not only "don't reveal my idea" but also "you're not allowed to produce derivatives". There are templates for this kind of thing around. Those two will protect you reasonably well. Unfortunately, you can't do a lot more unless you look at patents and so on. There's always the chance someone will reverse-engineer everything and steal an idea: that's part of the risk. All you can do is protect yourself as much as possible.

I would copyright the idea as well as patenting the idea to be on the safe side.I would also have anyone I shared the idea with sign a disclosure stating that they will not copy your idea.I wish you luck and have a great day.

Just keep your ideas to yourself at first. Keep in mind that whenever you're ready to release the business, make sure you get it patented immediately right before you release just in case someone tries to steal it.

I think it's great you are working toward your goal of marketing your product. I wish I could tell you there is a sound proof way to keep it your own. But I don't believe there is. Even products that are patented, have other companies trying to make the idea better. This enables them to release the same product when the patented is up and the product is more advanced then your original idea. It's a catch 22 if you ask me. Best Wishes!

What you are talking about is intellectual property. The only way I know is to establish the date you first had the idea and wrote it down. There is a poor man's copywrite. Write the entire idea down on paper(make sure you write about everything, where you were, who as with you, who you discussed the formulation of the idea, etc.), put it in a registered letter to yourself - that will give you a date - the date of the postmark and then sign for it when it is delivered. Make sure all pages are numbered, in sequence and printed with a date. If you are using Microsoft Word, that is easy. Do NOT open the envelop when it is delivered. If there is ever an issue, you can deliver that unopened envelop to your lawyer and he can then open it and verify the contents and hopefully prove you had the idea first.