Intellectual Property Protection An Idea is a Beautiful Thing – Make it Count
It’s not that difficult for some to come up with wonderful, innovative ideas—but getting those ideas to the point where they are patentable is an entirely different thing. Ideas themselves cannot be patented—you can have an idea, write all about it, claim it as your own, and have wonderful dreams of the money you’ll make from it, but there is nothing to stop someone else from coming up with the same thing. If they are the first to file a patent application for this idea, it’s theirs. So, what should you do when you have idea for an invention?
Pay Attention to the Conception Process
You’d think the first move would be to consult a patent attorney, but you should do a few things first (but don’t wait too long afterward.) Document your process, preferably in an inventor’s notebook, so that you have a clear line from idea to conception of your invention. Even this is no guarantee that you will be awarded the exclusive patent for your idea, but it can help. It will show your consistent, forward-moving process on your invention, and can be used by an experienced patent attorney should the need arise. Write in this notebook every day, over the length of time it takes for you to complete your invention.
As a note, don’t bother mailing your work to yourself—this offers no legal protection.
Get Familiar With Confidentiality Agreements
Unless you have the skills to design and complete your invention yourself, you will probably have to trust someone else at some point. One way of protecting your invention from being stolen, or from others talking about it, is to make sure that everyone signs a confidentiality agreement. You can find boiler-plate agreements online, or you may want to have your patent attorney draw one up for you—a lot depends on the completeness, as well as the complexity, of your invention.
All the work you’ve put into conceiving and creating your invention can be lost if the patent process is not adequately followed. A patent attorney can guide you, which is a good idea especially if you’ve used your invention in public and the 12 month countdown clock has started. Don’t let all your work go down the drain.
Contact your Patent Attorney to learn more.
