As soon as possible. A basic change in patent law has recently gone into effect, which (at risk of oversimplification) grants a patent to the first person to file, rather than the first person to invent (the old standard).
As far as I know, the idea is unique but I don't know if I have to make it first to patent it or just patent the idea, or is the idea all that matters?
* Ideas can now be patented, so don't wait until you have a working embodiment -- by then, someone else may have patented the idea.
* You need to consult a competent patent attorney, not a public forum.
Because of the complexity of these issues, you should try to get an attorney that's both competent and local. So a simple Web search won't be that conclusive.
Yes. I looked up a few in my area, and... yeah. expensive. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I mean, I can pay that high amount of money and hope my product is a success, but that's a lot of money for a giant maybe. My odds may be better with some scratch offs
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As soon as possible. A basic change in patent law has recently gone into effect, which (at risk of oversimplification) grants a patent to the first person to file, rather than the first person to invent (the old standard).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_to_file_and_first_to_inve...
* Ideas can now be patented, so don't wait until you have a working embodiment -- by then, someone else may have patented the idea.
* You need to consult a competent patent attorney, not a public forum.
thanks! Do you recommend a google search for an attorney or a site that might help me along the way?
Because of the complexity of these issues, you should try to get an attorney that's both competent and local. So a simple Web search won't be that conclusive.
By the way, this sort of thing is very expensive.
Yes. I looked up a few in my area, and... yeah. expensive. I'm not sure what to do at this point. I mean, I can pay that high amount of money and hope my product is a success, but that's a lot of money for a giant maybe. My odds may be better with some scratch offs