Patent an idea

[Chops9]

Ladies and Gents

Anyone here patent an idea, its in the renewables sector. Is it best go direct to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) or through a consultant, any consultants to recommend?

I have the idea in my head and some sketches but need it taken to the next level and get the patent pending before someone takes the idea.

Any help will be great.

[akirk]

I have written my own patent & commissioned others to write patents for me... simply put it depends on the complexity / sophistication of the idea...
The one I wrote was very simple, very conceptual and in a clear space in the IPR market...

General advice though would be get a patent attorney involved - initial costs need not be huge, though will probably be 3-4 figures at least.
- They will do the searches
- They will understand how your idea is inventive and how it differs from other IPR
- They will understand prior art an how to tweak your application to not fall foul of that
- They will understand how to grab the maximum IPR possible
- They will know how to protect you across as many countries as you need
- They will get the wording right to avoid expensive legal challenges later
- They will get the patent right to maximise its commerciality in the future
- They will maximise your chances of gaining the patent
- They will hold liability insurance in case they get it wrong

It can be the best money you spend on developing an idea - some of the biggest companies in the world base their wealth on the patents they hold - get it right and it is a good source of income - get it wrong and it is a waste of time / money...

Our first one - they were able to grab a huge generic bit of IPR that led to major VC investment in our company - had we done it, probably we would have covered our initial idea, but gained nothing more - we may not have received investment...

[oilydan]

This^^

I work in R&D for a $16bn oilfield services company and we engage outside law firms to handle patents for us; they are able to nail down the IP and ensure our brilliant ideas are not copied, moreover that there must be a significant innovative step forward for anyone to be able to work in that area. ie not just change the colour and work around it.

Cost for us is in the region of $10k to file the provisional and upwards of $30k to see it through to acceptance/hanging on my wall

The cost goes up if you want to file in multiple countries/global.

[Ultraviolet]

Also remember that a patent is ultimately only worth what you are prepared to pay to defend it.. So you may want to consider patent insurance.

I've used UDL for patent work before, would recommend them..

Uv

[pincher]

Spark to patently

Not sure if he is on here that much though - either send him a message or I can contact him through a forum he is more active on

[AyBee]

My brother's in this game - I've sent him a link. Notice you're in Australia though...

[CalumB90]

Hi Chops9.

As AyBee just mentioned, I work at a firm of Patent Attorneys, and would be happy to help out with initial information and advice. Whilst based in the UK, we file all over the world, so this isn't an issue.

I'll send you a PM with my email

Cal

[Chops9]

pincher said:

Spark to patently

Not sure if he is on here that much though - either send him a message or I can contact him through a forum he is more active on

Thanks for the heads up. I've dropped him a line.

[pincher]

Haha I failed to spot just how miserably I spelt 'speak'

[Katzenjammer]

Hi I'm a patent attorney, happy to give advice to fellow PHers.

There's a fair amount already discussed about patents on the Business forum here; if the search function works you might want to check there as well - amongst the various nonsense there is some sound advice.

Usually an attorney would be happy to meet for an free, no obligation initial consultation for 45mins or so. There is no shortage of firms in London. The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) have a good website which provide a directory of firms and attorneys to help you find someone local to you.

https://www.cipa.org.uk/members/directory/default....

Edited by Katzenjammer on Thursday 7th May 22:43

[Chops9]

Katzenjammer said:

Hi I'm a patent attorney, happy to give advice to fellow PHers.

There's a fair amount already discussed about patents on the Business forum here; if the search function works you might want to check there as well - amongst the various nonsense there is some sound advice.

Usually an attorney would be happy to meet for an free, no obligation initial consultation for 45mins or so. There is no shortage of firms in London. The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) have a good website which provide a directory of firms and attorneys to help you find someone local to you.

https://www.cipa.org.uk/members/directory/default....


Thanks. I'll give a look.

Edited by Katzenjammer on Thursday 7th May 22:43