Grandpa loved admiring our crayon drawings, exemplary grade cards and framed photos. But the piece de resistance was a copy of the official patent certificate for our Battery Buddy product invention.
As young adults, it was particularly rewarding to hold this top spot on his “proud grandfather” wall, but the best part about obtaining our patent was that it gave us the protection we needed to defend ourselves against business competition and to establish credibility with the big corporations.
Learn about Provisional vs. Non-Provisional Patents
Just as we successfully waded through the process of getting a patent, if you want to be able to protect your intellectual property assets, claim ownership, and possibly license and receive royalties on your product innovation, you should consider sorting out how to patent a product idea or invention. “A patent is a legal document that is granted to the first person to invent a particular invention” states Nicholas Godici, former Commissioner of Patents at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). “It allows them to exclude others from making, using or selling the invention that’s described in the patent for a period of twenty years from the date that they first filed the application.”
If you determine that applying for a patent is the right move for you, here are a few key points to keep in mind.
Author: Rich Sloan
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