The increase in counterfeiting instances as well as goods and concepts’ introduction and marketing that come with minor alterations have necessitated the patenting of ideas, products and designs by inventors to protect their inventions. Because so much has been invented, most people who try coming up with inventions just re-invent the wheel. However, a good number of inventors have now developed a new survival tactic by earning a living from unpatented products.
The major reason that has seen some new inventors fail to patent their inventions is the time it takes to patent an invention. The process typically takes approximately 2 years with other factors remaining constant. However, if the inventor makes either small or big changes to the invention, the set period might be increased or decreased. Some other changes that may alter the period specifically causing increases are related legal procedures which add complications to the process. You need to be aware of all these aspects before you file patent.
Before you file patent, it is advisable to carry out research. The research should be so thorough so that you do not leave any resource containing patented property untouched which is a safety measure to protect yourself from patent violation consequences. You must be keen because a concept might have been twisted during drafting only to discover it is similar to the idea at hand.
Check to see if the idea or concept in question has been earlier patented by another person. If you fail to carry out research, you might end up wasting time as well money going ahead with an already patented property. Most inventors have ignored research and ended up losing a lot of money on hiring attorneys among other costs that are involved in patenting inventions.
The concepts which have already been patented are checked during the application process and therefore there are no possibilities of a patenting an invention which has already been patented. If you file patent, you must know that the application cannot be made public prior to a period of 18 months. Publicizing the application before the lapse of this period can only be done if the patent applicant places a request for early publication. Whichever the scenario, applications which haven’t been publicized can’t be refereed.
You can file patent without any assistance or use professionals during patent application. Filing patent on your own can save a lot on cost, but it is advisable to seek professional help from agencies such as InventHelp. This is because you might not be very conversant with the rules of the game. You are likely to make more mistakes and even take a considerably longer time when doing it on your own than when using patent attorneys or patent filing agencies.
With the use of experts in this field, the errors will be minimized and the deal will be perfectly sealed. Remember, there are people looking for loopholes in patent claims and when they discover a slight loophole, they make great moves. With patent attorneys, you can be sure of maximum protection to your invention.