• PatentInformation

Note: All this information is specific to the USA.

A First Pass at the "Facts"

• You should find out if your idea qualifies for a patent.

• An initial consultation with a patent lawyer is normally free. If the laywer thinks the idea is patentable they will do a simple patent search, which costs about $500.
• Actually getting a patent takes about a year and costs US$5,000+.

• It is possible to get a patent yourself, without a lawyer.

• You can do a patent search yourself, but it's "advised" to hire a professional.

• There are lots of scam artists out there looking to make money off naive inventors.

See also: PatentBasics, PatentAndTrademarkOffice

Useful Sites and Articles

3-D Enterprises - has a free trial kit for new inventors (recommended by InventorEd, reputable?)

• http://www.inventorsopen.com/

InventorEd's Novice Section

• http://www.inventored.org/novice/

Warnings about Scams

• http://www.InventorEd.org/caution/

• http://www.InventorEd.org/scam/

Patent Search Tools

• http://www.inventored.org/patent-search/

Possibly sound advice on why you might not want to patent:

• http://www.projectsandhobbies.com/patent.htm

Inventors Cafe

• http://www.patentcafe.com/inventors_cafe/

Patent Worksheet

• http://www.lib.utexas.edu/engin/patent/wsheet.html

Stories

Ways to protect yourself and ways to get fucked anyway.

• http://www.intelproplaw.com/Patent/Forum/msg/5156.shtml

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