I may be quite odd, though it's not the first time I've pondered the fine line between lifting enough of the lid to show off the goodies to win someone over v's playing it cool (or too cool) and hiding behind confidentiality / commercial need to know principals.

It gets even more interesting when considering the principals test, I mean just how new or significantly improved is your innovation if you don't have some special sauce to spice up the same old dish?

Its a good reason the points test uses registered IP, so you've got it all out there and it's protected (technically at least). So what about the innovators with special sauce, deficient IP protection and the more subjective test to pass?

I like the KFC analogy, you can talk about the famious 11 herbs and spices, fresh cooked chicken and so on, just be sure not to give away the recipe.

It's an agonizing balancing act that every entreprenur must navigate in there own way, though we hope you find the right balance and ultimately investment that will help secure your business and the IP you are commercializing.

Lastly, remember that virtually all IP is public knowledge sooner or later so you'd best make tracks fast.

Cheers,

Tom

KFC recipe attached; http://www.food.com/recipe/11-secret-herbs-and-spices-kfc-copycat-133784