Although anyone can claim to inventor or create something (e.g., Al Gore created the Internet), the reality is that an idea needs to be carefully considered in context of the law. If you are serious about protecting your invention, you should contact a patent attorney or patent agent. Applying for a patent, and its subsequent patent prosecution process, does cost money. You may see ads for low-cost services to file a patent on your behalf. Such solutions are viable if your goal is to boast to your friends that you patented something. However, if you have real-world business ambitions, it is imperative that the person writing the claims of your patent is a well-qualified lawyer. The adage "you get what you pay for" is very true in the intellectual property community. Realistically, a single patent is going to minimally cost you around $10K for the application fees, legal fees to write the claims, and so on. You want to find a legal professional that is a subject matter expert in your domain (whether it is IT, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, biotech). Joseph Schumpeter, known as the Prophet of Innovation, describes the importance of inventors in his Theory of Economic Development. Inventors are the "fiery-spirits" that disrupt the status quo with their vision of doing things 'better, faster, cheaper.' In the process, their inventions represent "the heroic intervention of individual men (or women) who appear as leaders toward new economic shores." We believe that intellectual assets, commonly taking the form of patented technology, are the least-understood and most-relevant resources to stimulate economic development through innovation. To make this happen, intellectual property (IP) needs to be more comprehensively understood so that better business decisions can be executed. This is why we are in business. An invention must have economic utility to benefit society. Some times, inventions are way before their time. However, most of the time, the business execution to commercialize the invention fails. In fact, those that conceptualize the invention rarely reap the rewards of the innovation's ultimate success. Traditionally, IP counselors are buffered from the senior-executive decision-making process. Although patent attorneys represent an elite group that have a scientific background, this technical background many times prevents you from being a part of top-level strategic decisions. With your subject-matter expertise, and our ability to convert the complexities of the patent space into actionable business intelligence, you can earn a seat in the executive board room. Connie from Lee & Hayes says, " As an IP attorney, I specialize in life sciences technologies and need tools that go beyond a good search. I use IP Street's suite of tools because the analysis provides great business insights in a fraction of the time it used to take, allowing me to be more responsive to my clients with better information. As a result, I am able to play a more integral role in my clients' business. " It is about time you can communicate actionable business intelligence from patent documents. Executives are starting to recognize the importance of Intellectual Assets and their management, but they need more. An you can provide it for them. |