I have 7 U.S. patents, 1 European patent, and a couple of works copyrighted in the U.S. Let me answer this one.I always thought ideas had to be patented to be protected, not copyrighted. Is that right or wrong? Does anyone know?
Copyrights protect creative works. In particular, court precedents established that software (computer programs) can be copyright-protected in the U.S. In contrast to that, the U.S. does not support the "sweat of brow" doctrine, so telephone directories are not copyright-protected there: They are not considered creative works.
Patents protect inventions. An invention is not just an idea, it has to have an embodiment and commercial application. A novel step not obvious to those familiar with the prior art and experienced in the field has to be involved: An invention has to be both new and non-trivial.
Ideas are NOT protected by law. For instance, it is legal for a politician to "steal his opponents thunder" and advocate an idea first proposed by someone else without the author's permission. However, the ACM Code of Ethics http://www.acm.org/about/code-of-ethics states "Computing professionals are obligated to protect the integrity of intellectual property. Specifically, one must not take credit for other's ideas or work, even in cases where the work has not been explicitly protected by copyright, patent, etc." Such a violation of professional ethics by an ACM member can be punished: "Adherence of professionals to a code of ethics is largely a voluntary matter. However, if a member does not follow this code by engaging in gross misconduct, membership in ACM may be terminated." I am unaware of such precedents, though.