when should you contact a patent attorney

by Carrie Fay Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 9 min read

The biggest reason to talk to a patent attorney as soon as possible is to try to avoid the one thing that seems to most often trip up individual and new inventors – a non-confidential disclosure of the invention more than a year before filing a patent application.

Can patent attorney steal your idea?

However, patent lawyers are bound by ethics and professional responsibility requirements. Stealing an idea would be a serious breach of duty for a lawyer that can expose him or her to punishments from the bar, and the original inventor would likely be able to sue for theft.

When can you talk about a patent?

During the period when it is active at the patent office—which is typically at least 18 months but may be four or more years—you should label your product with Patent Pending. After the patent application goes abandoned, you need to remove Patent Pending from your product.

How much does it cost to prosecute a patent?

Inventors can expect to spend the following on prosecution costs: $2,500 to $4,000 and above for a basic mechanical invention. $3,000 to $7,000 and above for a complex mechanical invention.

Who do I talk to about a patent?

Contact PatentsContact informationWhen to contactToll-Free: 800-786-9199 Local: 571-272-1000 TTY: 800-877-8339General filingToll-Free: 866-217-9197 Local: 571-272-4100 [email protected] filingLocal: 571-272-2520 571-272-3547Before filingLocal: 571-272-2510 [email protected] filing During examination14 more rows•Jul 10, 2018

What does patent attorney do?

Specially trained in drafting patents and with knowledge of intellectual property law, patent attorneys lead individual inventors or companies through the required process to obtain a patent and then act to enforce inventors' rights if patents are infringed.

How long does the patent process take?

According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), it takes about 22 months to acquire a patent and with the help of an experienced patent attorney, the steps can be easy to follow.

What is a poor man's patent?

A poor man's patent is essentially writing out a description of your invention and then mailing that written description to yourself. This postmarked envelope supposedly acts to create the date of your invention as the date this written description was postmarked.

How much does a patent search cost?

How much does a patent cost? And whyUS Patent FeesRegularMicro EntityInitial Filing Fee$300$75Search Fee$660$165Examination Fee$760$190Issue Fee$1,000$2505 more rows•Apr 21, 2020

How much are patents worth?

If the corporation makes an offer, it will typically be anywhere from $50 thousand to $8 million, and can be higher. On the other hand, an inventor trying to simply market an issued patent to corporations, is likely to get anywhere from $5,000 to $35,000.