 |
(330) 759-1423
|
A National Practice
30 Years of Patent Experience
from Basic Engineering to High-Technology
A National Practice
|
|
|
Please don't send confidential information to the firm email address. Rather, first call us to discuss the situation. We have to conduct a conflicts check to determine whether or not we can represent you. This is particularly crucial in the case of confidential information that might be subject to patentability. A patent can be used to protect a new apparatus, a new material, a new process, or a new item of manufacture. All have to be realizable. In particular, the inventor must know how the idea can be carried out as a tangible invention. Ideas may also be manifested as fanciful names or ideograms associated with a service or a product. Trademark protection is appropriate in such cases. Ideas can also be expressed as a written work, such as text or a piece of music, or the code of a computer program. Copyright protection is appropriate in such cases. It should be understood that the protection and development of patentable inventions and other intellectual property is a capital investment. Protection of an invention is not the same as the marketing of that invention. The two are separate issues, and require separate efforts and expenditures. Those who are novices to the world of patents and other intellectual property protection must understand that there is no "one-stop-shopping" solution. For invention patent protection, separate issues must be evaluated at separate steps of the protection process. Consequently, expert guidance is needed at each step of the process. Please be advised that patent and trademark work constitute long, complex and expensive processes. While we work to minimize the costs compared to larger firms, intellectual property work is still a capital investment. Please be prepared. It should be understood that the marketing or licensing of an invention is not the same process as obtaining patent protection. The marketing of the invention can entail manufacture, advertising, and shipping -- a complete business operation. Marketing of the invention may be limited to finding prospective licensees, and persuading them to take a license to manufacture the invention on terms favorable to the inventor. Both approaches cost money, and may even require that capital be raised to support the enterprise. This in itself is another complexity that must be addressed. Accordingly, the inventor should remember that obtaining a patent is only one step in an overall process. If you have an idea for an invention and would like to contact us, please have ready a description of the invention, including drawing sketches if applicable, and an explanation of how your invention is different. After an initial consultation, we will analyze your invention based on the data you provide. If appropriate, we will conduct a patentability search, and a patentability analysis of the search. After that, if applicable, we will go forward with a patent application. If you would like to copyright a work product, please be advised that most copyright registration work can be done without legal counsel. You can get started by following the link to the U.S. Copyright Office on the Links page. If you have questions, however, you may contact us. None of the information provided in this website should be construed or used as legal advice. The information provided here is for educational purposes only, in order to help inventors learn background information before consulting an attorney. Advice on what course of action to take with regard to an idea for an invention, patent, trademark, copyright, or other intellectual property is fact and situation specific. Please consult with an attorney for specific advice regarding your particular situation. We provide an initial consultation to an inventor at no charge. |
Patent and Trademark Attorney -- Located in Northeast Ohio -
(330) 759-1423
|
Ideas cannot be protected. Unless someone is under contract to pay you
for your idea, disclosing it can be the same as giving it away free of charge.