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That is also my general feeling towards patents.

However, I would say it depends on the scale of the sector that the patent falls into. How well developed is the market? Is the patent easy to circumvent? Are there already similar patents that yours is essentially just one of the bypasses of?

It seems one of the best identifiers is how much…[Read more]

The short answer is yes or no. The longer answer is that it depends. IF the patent is well written then it is hard for someone to get around it. However, some patent agents or attorneys do not care about the business side of things, at least not yours. They can get a patent by writing very narrow claims and the patent will issue, but it can be…[Read more]

There are definitely pluses when it comes to patents, but the bottom line is a patent is just worth the amount of money you have to defend it. I’ve heard of a lot of horror stories in the past where car companies would copy patents and then fight the poor guy that did the actual design.

Something similar happened to me not so long ago, and it was indeed a scam. Fortunately I also figured something was wrong when they started asking for so much money.

1. You have to make sure that your idea something new.
2. You need to secure your intellectual property rights and make your idea semi-protected. Unless you have embodied the implementation in hardware or code, you have a concept which may or may not be fully protectable.
3. A lot of companies will refuse to sign an NDA to limit the possibility of…[Read more]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.

The product would be a small electrical piece, probably made of metal and plastic, and most probably not computerised. I don’t know if it could be 3D printed, since it’s electrical.

As for the sector, it would be an addition to a lot of home and office objects so it’s definitely one of the fastest growing…[Read more]

You need to provide some basic details about your product, otherwise it’s impossible to offer direction.
What is the main material: metal, plastic, wood?
Is it analog, electrical, digital, computerised?

Hi,

I would worry less, at this stage, of whether or not you have the money to develop it or market it. Instead focus your energy on getting to understand the sector it’s in. The more you understand about the market, the more you will be able to understand your inventions’ role in it.

Not having any clue as to what it is makes things difficult!…[Read more]

If you want to cut costs but still feel like you need a patent attorney, you can try to find one with an undergrad degree in mechanical engineering.

I do know some people who have had the same issue and they found a lawyer with mechanical engineering knowledge.

The chances might be slim, but at least it’s something you could try.