Patents
- Provisional patent: Since June 8, 1995, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has offered inventors the
option of filing a provisional application for patent which was designed to provide a lower-cost first patent
filing in the United States is gives you one year to file a regular patent.
- Utility patents: may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article
of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement.
- Design patents: may be granted to anyone who invents a new, original, and ornamental design for an article of
manufacture.
- Plant patents: may be granted to anyone who invents or discovers and asexually reproduces any distinct and new
variety of plant.
- Write and file your own patent application (the cheapest way) - total cost about $900 for most inventors to get
an issued patent (USPTO fees only).
- Hire a registered patent attorney or patent agent to write and file a patent application for you (the most expensive
way) - total cost $5,000-$10,000 mostly in attorney billing time.
- File provisional patent application - USPTO fee $65 (for most inventors, assumes micro entity status).
- File non-provisional patent application - USPTO fees (filing fee, search fee, etc.) about $400.
- Patent Issue fee - USPTO fee $450 good for 5 years, maintenance fees required every 3 years (due to backlog can
take 1-3 years before it is issued).
- Studies have shown only 3% of patents are unique.
- Most patents are not profitable.
- A patent only gives you the legal right to sue for infringement, do you have enough money to fight a long court
Battle.
- If your product is manufactured off shore enforcing your patent is almost impossible.