Posted: 11/4/2002 11:58:53 PM EDT
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I have an Idea I would like to get patented, but I dont trust people, Soooo I have a problem as you can see. What can I do to protect my idea from the evil people who want to steal it? Should I talk with a patent Attorney and blow $5000 away? or can I do this myself for cheaper? |
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I have filed for and received a patent for software systems. The law firm I used was expressly an intellectual property firm and it was way more than $5,000. However, in order to keep costs at a minimum, I wrote the initial patent filing myself and just had them do the proofreads. I didn't even let them do the edits. It is not necessary to file for a patent all of the time. Many things can still be protected as a "trade secret" (like the formula for Coca-Cola, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc...). In some cases this is more desireable because a patent filing spells out your technology for anyone else to grab and work out a comparable solution. Many would-be competitors have come out of the patent office. Check out the US Patent Trademark Office site for mucho info.... [url]http://www.uspto.gov[/url] |