Patents

[The AntiChrist]

Are there any fundamental rules with respect to patents. For instance would any subsequent patent be invalidated if the idea is discussed prior to patent application. Have any of the esteemed members have any experience of dealing with patents?

That depends. Tell us what it is and we'll tell you whether it's worth patenting...

[Alan Wright]

Patents and Dragons

If you ever watch Dragon's Den you will know that having a good and valid patent is a worthwhile thing.

If you seriously think you have something that is patentable and marketable then it is worth paying a specialist patent lawyer for some proper professional advice on whether your invention is patentable and how to do it.

Better to spend £150 pounds on an initial consultation and find out you can't patent your idea than to save £150 now only to find later that someone else has come up with the same idea and patented it.

Also check out http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ which has useful info.

Alan Wright
Liberty Accounts Online Accounting Software

[Ardesco]

not worth the money you'd spend on it IMHO. If somebody does future work that builds on it and they can proove within a reasonable doubt that you didn't understand all the research when you initially put in your patent it can be invalidated.

It's just a money sink and a way for lawyers to earn lots of money fighting big patent cases. Bear in mind that you are unlikely to be able to afford to defend you patent in court if a huge company with a bottomless pit of funds (e.g. Microsoft) decides to challenge you.

[Bluebird]

Are there any fundamental rules with respect to patents. For instance would any subsequent patent be invalidated if the idea is discussed prior to patent application. Have any of the esteemed members have any experience of dealing with patents?

One of the fundamental tests for a patent is that the idea has never been in the public domain.

The example they give is that a guy tried to Patent a "dog flap" - much like a cat flap but different in the way it operated - the patent was rejected [ not because of the fact that it resembled a cat flap ] because in the Beano in 1956 a "dog flap" was used by Dennis the Menace for Gnasher.

The idea was therefore deemed to be in the public domain.

If you have a specific query - pm me [ as puttinig the idea on a MB means it's in the public domain and therefore you can't get it granted ].

[Addanc]

Are there any fundamental rules with respect to patents. For instance would any subsequent patent be invalidated if the idea is discussed prior to patent application. Have any of the esteemed members have any experience of dealing with patents?