Patents and Copyrights

[Mike I.]

I had a conversation with a US patent lawyer recently. Apparently, if 
you publish and copyright an original idea, and subsequently wish to 
patent it, you have up to one year to apply for a patent after 
publication. Once the patent has been granted, you are able to take 
legal action against anyone who has used your idea for commercial 
purposes during the intervening period. Does anyone know anything more 
about this? Mike