From idea to design: protection under the 'grace period' in Europe

It is a long way from some initial sketches to a final product. Doubts and concerns may arise as to whether the original idea will fly. While mid-sized companies and global players alike are used to taking such risks and spending time and money to find out, small entities and individuals (inventors, creators, authors, designers, etc) may be discouraged. They might also be concerned that their know-how (sketches, prototypes, etc) will be copied either exactly or to a substantial extent when being disclosed to potential partners.