Protecting Inventions

You need to think about protecting your invention from its very conception. In most countries, patent applications must be filed before any public disclosure, including to potential customers, at trade shows or on the web.

It is therefore vital that you talk to a patent attorney at an early stage. If you do not feel ready to file a patent application, there may be steps that can be taken by way of confidentiality agreements that can protect you through negotiations with third parties until you are ready to make your application.

We can prepare letters to prospective investors identifying potentially patentable inventions, in preparation for raising finance and filing patent applications.

If you have already made limited disclosure of your invention in the last 6 or 12 months, it may not be too late to protect it in certain countries, but you will have to move fast. The same applies if others have disclosed your invention in breach of terms of confidentiality.

We can also advise if your invention is eligible for other forms of protection such as registered designs, utility models, design patents and the like.