Inventing something

Kerplunk

Kerplunk

Kerplunk

Soldato
Joined
10 Jan 2006
Posts
9,420
Location
Bournemouth tbh
Say for instance, I had an idea for inventing something...how would you go about doing anything about it? Surely if you went to somebody and told them your idea they could nick it from you, and fob you off ?

Has anyone here invented a product, or an idea?
 
Reminded me of....

28aki86.jpg


And I LOLD!
 
There are different types of protection. Patents, Design Protection, Copyright, Trademarks and probably some others I've forgotten. Patents are expensive, very expensive and complicated. You would only want to patent something if you knew it was going to make enough money to cover the cost of the patent.

Design Protection can be used to protect the look of an invention, e.g Apple had design protection on the original iMac (the big coloured monitor one), as well as probably some patents on some parts of it.

You probably know about copyright and trademarks.

One thing you can do to help protect your idea is get anyone you talk to about it to sign a confidentiality agreement or a non disclosure agreement, that way you can sue if they talk.

Another thing about patents is you can only patent something that isn't public knowledge, so technically if you tell anyone without getting them to sign one of the above agreements, your idea could be deemed unpatentable.

Sorry if that all sounds a bit naff, I'm no patent attorney I've just been taught a few things during my Engineering degree, most of which I've forgotten.
 
You need to draw it up, prototype it and patent it to stop anyone else stealing your idea. First start is to do a patent search to check it hasn't already been invented. You can't tell anyone what it is if you want to patent your idea and beware that companies will make minor changes to your idea so they can get around your patent.

Just a warning, I have a friend from university who invented a sports product. He prototyped and patented it at great expense, tried to market it himself but found himself way out of his depth, then tried to license the product to some big sports companies. He was refused, as predicted, but shortly afterwards some identical products came on the market with some oh so minor changes which worked around his patent. It was a harsh lesson learned and many inventors have suffered the same fate with their products.
 
I know some one who invented a security device, won awards from Alan Sugar
the west midlands police.

BUT so far it had cost him £40,000 in world wide Patents/Adverts/literature and so on.

Poor guy has to work 7 days a week just to keep going.
 
Jonny69 said:
Snip...
Click to expand...

I would be so gutted I were him.

Manufacturing something is always going to be difficult for an individual, and companies you approach to licence are always going to look for a way to screw you. I guess one possible solution, depending on what you product is, is to get various manufactures to make the various parts of it without revealing to them the whole product. That way no single manufacturer can steal your idea. Although if you've patented it they can still just look at the patent and get around it. Which is why sometimes is best not to bother patenting it and just make it and get it on the market in the hope that by the time a competitor realises it's making money and starts to compete, you can exit the market having made a fair amount.
 
etom said:
you could go on dragens den :D
Click to expand...

He could, but with only and idea I don't think he'd get far.

A guy from my uni went on dragons den a few years ago (he came to talk to us in a business module) with an idea to cultivate truffles and make a truffle farm. He was offered the money he wanted and accepted, but after the show he received a number of calls from other business types telling him not to take the money as it was a heavily unfair deal. He said he declined the money and went at it alone. He seemed to be doing pretty well from it too.
 
First of what type of idea is it? No details pls just something basic, like electrical goods, software, chair.

Are you capable of designing \ building a prototype, or do you need help?

How much money are you able to thow at it. Depending on what what it is you will probably need about £20k to get to prototype and annother £10-20k to create inital stock.

I work for a company that develops peoples ideas into products we have even had some of our customers on dragons den.

If you want any more detailed advice PM me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom