You Invent It...We Protect It

Intellectual property is anything created by the human intellect. Patents, trademarks and copyrights are all forms of protection for intellectual property.

What constitutes intellectual property can be very confusing as well as what is the best way to protect it. For many inventors determining whether they need a patent or a trademark is one of the most confusing aspects.

If you want to hear the answers to questions like “How can I find an inventors’ group in my area?” and “Can I file a provisional patent and then convert it to a design patent?” then this is the show for you.

There is a proliferation of inventing shows today that are bringing much deserved recognition to inventors and their inventions. Anyone appearing on one of these shows needs to be certain that they have taken steps to protect their intellectual property before divulging it on national television.

Being in too much of a rush to try to get your product to market without the proper protection can hurt you. Having a patent first establishes the legal ownership to your intellectual property and prevents the theft of your idea.

It is not a requirement that you have a prototype to obtain a patent. However, there are some instances when prototypes can be extremely useful such as when determining whether your invention will work properly or to help determine what modifications you will have to make prior to filing your patent application.

President of Plastic Resource Group, Tyler Harrell, joins us to discuss prototypes involving plastic. His firm provides high quality affordable plastics engineering services with cost saving solutions from concepts to shelf-ready products for much less that other plastic consultants in the industry. Guest Tyler Harrell, President, Plastic Resource Group
http://www.askaboutplastic.com

Many inventors overlook creating a business plan to help protect their assets and outline their marketing plan. There are many types of business strategies to consider from corporations to sole partnerships.

There are many different types of businesses with many different tax consequences. Talking to an attorney would be advisable to determine what type of business would best suit your situation.
Guest: Katharine Burkhalter, Attorney

A common misconception is that all that has to be in a patent application is a general description of what your idea is. In actuality, there are some very specific things that must be in a patent application.
Today's Guest - JoAnn Warner, Independent Inventor

Filing a patent application is a very complicated and complex issue. It is very time consuming, very difficult and can be costly.
Today's Guest - JoAnn Warner, Independent Inventor

The word obvious has a completely different meaning in the world of intellectual property. One of the requirements the United States Patent and Trademark Office uses to determine if you get a patent is whether or not your invention is obvious.
Guest - Skip Manley, Independent Inventor and Owner of CCBerries
http://www.ccberries.com

An invention is "obvious" if the difference between the invention and the prior art would have been apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant field. The question of "obviousness" is often a difficult and subjective one.
Guest - Skip Manley, Independent Inventor and Owner of CCBerries
http://www.ccberries.com

Many inventors mistakenly believe they need a working prototype prior to filing for patent protection. You do not have to have a prototype to get a patent, but at some point you are probably going to want either an actual prototype or a virtual prototype.

Guest: Nicholas R. Powley, Prototyper
http://www.opendesignforum.com

One of the obstacles that inventors often face is getting a firm quote from a manufacturer. Guest Nicholas Powley often helps inventors obtain the documents they need to get quotes from manufacturers.

Guest: Nicholas R. Powley, Prototyper
http://www.opendesignforum.com

Henry Heines patent attorney and author of "Patents for Business: The Manager’s Guide to Scope, Strategy, and Due Dilligence". For more information visit www.townsend.com or
http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/39337.aspx

American Humorist, Evan Esar, (1899-1995) once said, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and Jill a rich widow.”
We lightened things up a little on this show with Ted Van Cleave, artist and author of "Totally Absurd Inventions".
http://www.totallyabsurd.com

Each patent listed on the totallyabsurd site is unusual in some way. Often used by schools as a teaching tool, the totallyaburd site has logged over 24 million visitors to date and offers a RSS feed so the newest wacky patents come directly to you.
Guest Ted Van Cleave, artist and author, www.totallyabsurd.com
http://www.totallyabsurd.com