Hey guys I have a few ideas to better some of the items we use in our boating life style.I need to know how to I bring these ideas to reality and what is the legal way to keep my ideas from getting copied?How do I go about a patent?Manufacturing ect. Any help would be greatly appreciated.I'm sure a few or you guys have been down this road and I hope you could shed some light on it for me.

Thanks Nordic95

yeah me too, start up cost I think at a min, is a grand or two I opened my mouth about a idear in the carpet trade and asked to many people what they thought. guess what its on the market about 12 mons later. art

not sure if this helps,but in the book business,you send your '''idea" back to yourself via registered mail,and do not open it,that way if someone steals your idea ,you have proof(postage stamp with date)that you had the idea first,just write down your idea with drawings,go to the post office and send it back to you,DO NOT OPEN IT ,then send your idea to someone you think could run with it,hope i am being clear just got back from a charity golf outing....free beer

I heard of this also,just wasnt sure if they was one way to document it leagaly or not.How do I go about looking for a manufacturing company once I document the idea?

Nordic95

Too late, I already have your "idea" in production!! Thanks for the tip!!!

The mailing the thing to yourself can help but you still need to get a patent from what I have been told. There have been times were people come up with the same invention with out the knowledge of the other then it becomes a mess...... The problem that you have is enforcement can be expensive....

Jon

Congrats on the new idea! You first need to start with a good attorney. I have a business attorney that also does patents. A good attorney can help you with a business plan to protect you and your invention. You might even consider contacting my attorney if you're ready to pursue the idea. Their firm works all over the US and they have logged thousands of cases. I also know a lot of guys in manufacturing and might be able to steer you in the right direction. Get in touch sometime and I'll see what I can do.

Donnie

You need a Patent Attorney. They will review your idea against any similar patents and do all of the paperwork to register your patent. Last I heard, about $5,000 - maybe a bit more now. If is was cheap, I'd have 50 patents by now!

Good Luck!

Mark

go to the NOLO website; much info in intellectual property law and all the tools to do as much if not all yourself. good luck - jeff

Just read today that it takes an average of $500,000 to enforce a patent in court.