A growing number of people are generating ideas not to pursue them, but sell them to those who will. This trend has led to a number of companies and services who promise the ability to sell new ideas.
Before exploring the different companies who make this promise, it is important to look beyond "selling ideas" and understand what that truly means. In order to sell an idea, what you really...
For 99% of inventors, filing a provisional patent is a smart decision. But what exactly is a provisional patent? What separates it from a "real patent?" The short answer is: a few hundred dollars and a lot less paperwork. But there's more to it than just that. A provisional patent is a way for you to stake your claim, to get your application into the USPTO's system, while you decide whether it...
Hollywood and popular literature tend to glorify the selfless inventor who innovates out of benevolence for mankind, with no care for personal gain. However, without the ability to commercialize new ideas, many of the world's most cherished inventions might not have come to pass. Silicon Valley venture capitalist Paul Graham concurs in his essay "How to Make Wealth."
"Developing new...
There are many misconceptions about what a patent is and is not. Many believe that patents can "protect an idea" in the sense of preventing people from acting on a concept you thought of. Others believe that mailing yourself notes and drawings is a "poor man's patent" that provides sufficient protection. In fact, patents are only granted to inventions, and the only way to achieve patent status...
These words are easy to say, but not always so easy to do. Nowhere is this truer than in your fight to invent something new or grow a prevailing business. As you strive to bring your vision to life, you will face countless obstacles and barriers to success. These obstacles can take on many different shapes and forms. Whether it is someone stealing your ideas, business partners flaking out, or...
In the understandable excitement and inspirational fire of creation, many inventors rush into the patent process without doing their homework. Unfortunately, their zeal to push forward often comes back to haunt them in the form of longer wait times, higher fees, and more work that could have been avoided with proper planning. The purpose of this article is to steer you clear of these pitfalls...
Developing new technology is, as Edison once said, "one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." It makes sense when you consider what technology really is: technique. It is, at root, a new way of doing something; presumably a way that never existed before someone painstakingly established it. Since developing new technology is hard work, it stands to reason that only a...
Every inventor knows that it's a mistake to go around bragging about your idea to everyone who will listen. Careless mistakes should obviously be avoided. However, there is another kind of inventor who commits just the opposite mistake, and suffers the same failure. That mistake is paranoia. It is an irrational, unfounded fear of everyone in his field that causes the inventor to clam up and...
All inventors have, at one time or another, pined for "the right people." Be they investors, programmers, distributors, writers, architects, butchers, bakers, or candlestick makers, personnel is a crucial ingredient to the success of any invention. But getting the right people behind your invention is a road more easily mapped than traveled. In this article, we'll walk you through finding and...
Just as a growing number of people are starting to sell their patents, there is a rise in the number of people looking to buy them. However, it is wise to do some homework and number-crunching before spending big bucks to own a patent. It is also altogether imprudent to buy patents or ideas from certain sources. This article will help prospective patent buyers sift through this complexity and...
