You and your child were working on their school science fair project when you had an amazing idea about how to make improvements to the tools you were working with. After several days of brainstorming, you came up with a product idea that you think could change the market. You’ve created child-safe products that are much easier to use to work on school projects, like those that require cutting and gluing, saving you time and giving you a more relaxing experience.
You took the time to draw out the schematics, but now you’re concerned. After looking online for items like yours, you’ve found nothing. You don’t want someone else to steal your ideas before they’re made. What should you do?
As a first-time inventor, this is a good time to talk about patents. Your idea already belongs to you thanks to the way copyright laws work, but a patent gives you more security. Before you can get a patent, you may want to work with an attorney on getting a patentability opinion.
A patentability opinion is a general patent opinion that lets you know if it’s likely that your invention could be patented. Your attorney will go through nonpatent and patent literature to see if there are products like yours in existence. If not, then you may find you have a better chance of a patent and decide to go forward with getting one. If there are other products that are similar, you may want to change your design or opt not to file a patent at all.
Patents can be expensive, so before you start paying thousands, it’s a good idea to find out if your invention is truly unique. Our website has more information for you on this important topic.