If you are engaged in a creative endeavor and you come up with something that you think sounds pretty cool and actually works, you should consider retaining a qualified intellectual property attorney as quickly as you can.
The reason for the urgency isn’t necessarily because there might be riches in what you’ve made, and it isn’t because it’s just the way things are done in the go-go 21st century business world. It’s because having a competent attorney involved will give you the legal perspective you need to evaluate your work and its potential.
If you are an inventor, and especially if you have a working prototype of your work, here are some things you should consider.
Patents Have Intangible Value
Even if you don’t plan on starting the next great American business, attorneys from a firm like the Hansen Law Firm, P.C. will tell you having a patent gives you tremendous credibility in the marketplace. As one of the most intricate and difficult kinds of intellectual property to protect, an invention represents all the best values of enterprise, and if you also have the savvy to patent it, you become a capital “I” inventor.
Licensing is Lucrative
Unless you already own a manufacturing division, it is likely your best path to earning value from your patent is to license it. Until you own the patent, however, you run the risk of your potential licensees running away with your idea or prototype. Business is replete with stories of inventors who didn’t get full value for their work.
Intellectual property, and patents in particular, is one of the most lucrative areas of business. When you are awarded a patent, you get to participate in that economy, and the income you derive might fund your next big idea.
Speaking with a patent attorney at the Hansen Law Firm, P.C. is often free, and the counsel of a business litigation attorney in Santa Clara will give you a good overview of your options as an inventor. Don’t risk your work unnecessarily. Protect yourself and provide for your family by establishing the value of your invention.