You have an idea and now you want to try and pitch it to businesses and consumers. However, when it comes to intellectual property issues, you want to ensure that your rights are protected so that your idea is not stolen out from under you and used in a way that you never intended, to give money to a bigger business. Because of this, you need a patent lawyer and the ability to file a patent application so that you can get started on this process.
What Does a Patent Attorney Do?
Not every attorney will be able to file a patent, and sometimes a special type of individual known as a patent lawyer will need to help you file a patent application so that you can get started on working on a product that is important to you. Patent lawyers have spent many years studying the laws that regard these cases so that they can help you protect your rights under the law when you have an idea for a new product and want to ensure that it is not taken from you.
Patent laws have been around for quite some time, giving us a need for these attorneys with a very special type of law that you don’t want to attempt to handle on your own. The first patent law was actually used over 228 years ago, with the first U.S. Patent Act being established in 1790. With the number of patent applications filed only increasing every year, with 500,000 being filed every year and counting, there is a need for this special type of law that will ensure that the process goes smoothly for you.
Why the Initial Application is So Important
If you’re thinking about working with a patent lawyer and getting a start on this process, you should talk to them about filing an initial application. The provisional patent application will allow you to work toward an actual patent. You will be given 12 months of protection before this application runs out and, in that time, there will be a ‘patent pending’ on your product, which protects it under trademark laws. You should speak with your attorney as soon as possible so that you can get this filed and protections put in place.
If you have a fantastic product in mind that you believe will change the world or serve as useful to others, then you want to protect this idea at all costs so that it is not stolen from under you. Speak with an experienced and knowledgeable attorney who understands the laws of patents and can assist you immediately.