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Posted

So I have come up with a great new idea for a fishing product but have no idea where to go from here. Is there any easy way to patent my idea before proceeding? I don't want to get screwed over by a person/company. I truly believe that this could be an amazing product, and that there is a fairly large market for it.

-Ben

Posted

write ur idea down on a piece of paper, date it and sign it. and mail it back to urself. put it in a drawer and do not open it. then go ahead with ur product production. thats one way to cover ur butt on it. its kinda of a cheater way to patent something. someone i know in a tackle industry does that with lure designs.

 

but in the long run, the best and safest way is to pay for the patent.

Posted

write ur idea down on a piece of paper, date it and sign it. and mail it back to urself. put it in a drawer and do not open it.

 

Uhm... :unsure: What does THAT do for yourself? Other than wasting a few pennies on a stamp? :dunno:

Posted

So I have come up with a great new idea for a fishing product but have no idea where to go from here. Is there any easy way to patent my idea before proceeding? I don't want to get screwed over by a person/company. I truly believe that this could be an amazing product, and that there is a fairly large market for it.

-Ben

A friend spent 40gs on a product he and his brother designed.After a couple of years they sold all rights and turned over a 10g profit.That was their only way to save their homes and savings.It wouldnt go further than selling to the highest bidder.If they didnt sell?In the hole they would be.Sorry dude I needed to tell.Who knows? maybe yours will make a killing,crossed fingers.

Posted

Uhm... :unsure: What does THAT do for yourself? Other than wasting a few pennies on a stamp? :dunno:

 

When it passes through the postal service it gets stamped with a date, which proves you thought of this idea at a certain time/date.

 

:)

Posted

Yea I have no resources what so ever to get this started up. Do you think any big name companies would buy an idea from a random person? or just take it from me. Anyone wanna buy a great idea? :wallbash:

Posted

Yea I have no resources what so ever to get this started up. Do you think any big name companies would buy an idea from a random person? or just take it from me. Anyone wanna buy a great idea? :wallbash:

 

u can approach companies with the idea. but again, u have to be careful with it, once u tell them the idea, if u have no proof that it was your idea, theres no stopping them from putting it into production and leaving u out in the cold, so to speak.

 

 

so, as i said, write the letter, sign it, date it, and mail it to urself, and then tuck it someplace safe and leave it sealed. then as u go forward in whichever manner u choose, u have proof of the fact u had this idea before u went to a company. so should they try to screw u, u have somethin to cover ur butt.

 

and yes, like bill said, once it passes through canada post, they stamp it, certifying that it was done at a certain date, making it a legal document.

Posted

Dragons Den !!! ;);)

 

I was gonna post this!!!

 

They probably wouldn't invest, remember the guy with the hunting calls? I forgot who has the private lake in Muskoka, but you should cater it to him :thumbsup_anim:

Posted

Sure i will buy it,, come over and i will give you 5 dollars and I will even supply beer while we sign the papers,, ha,, don't see any other offers out there for you yet.. it is hard to do, don't tell anyone the idea and don't put alot of money towards it,, think about it for awhile,, i still have one from years ago ,, still havent done anything with it and it is the next big thing,, , i will give you the name though,,, ready THE BOSPO there,, no idea what it is heh,,, well just remmeber you heard it here,,, every boater will have one and need one.. give me a few more years..

Posted

Hey Minnow

...ready THE BOSPO there,, no idea what it is heh,,, well just remmeber you heard it here,,, every boater will have one and need one.. give me a few more years..

 

Didn't I see the Sham Wow guy on TV with this the other day? Great gadget! :)

Posted

 

I think it was like a month ago when I asked you if you could spell google? lol :D Shoulda seen that one coming! touche A2F!

 

Dragons Den !!! ;);)

 

I was thinking that too, pretty sure they'd like my idea.

 

 

 

I hate getting worm crap under my fingernails after I put them on a hook. Did you invent nail protectors?

 

I hate that too! but my idea isn't that good....is the nail protectors idea still up for grabs?

 

 

-Ben

Posted

The cheapest and safest way to protect an idea in Canada is to Copyright it..... There was an inventing club around Hamilton that used to be on a talk radio program who explained it all. Google might turn them up.

 

One guy had over 1000 inventions and for everything he patented, that was worth while the big guys just used the patent filing to get his idea and design then changed it very slightly and put out their own version. He was powerless then he discovered copyrighting and had not been beaten since doing that.

 

As he explained it, it was a simple as homepublishing a set number of books discribing the idea and then going for a legal copyright of the book which was WAY cheaper than getting a patent which offered no protection anyhow.

Posted

About 30 years ago when I had my own business I was approched by a customer that had a problem he'd been trying to find a solution to. Lead was being banned in shot shells for hunting water fowl, what he was trying to determin was what was in the shell without damaging the shell.

 

After trying several ideas I realized that it didn't really matter what was in the shell as long as it wasn't lead (seems no one else had realized it at that point) so I desigined a simple eddy current coil that would identify lead and made a prototype, it worked perfectly! In fact it is still being used today and no one has ever come up with a better way to do it.

 

Now, you would think that I should be rich right? Well it turned out that this customer went behind my back and applied for patents for the idea and guess who wasn't listed on the patents!

 

I did go and see a patent lawyer who wanted $15,000.00 as a retainer just to get started and informed me that it could take many years of legal battles in Canada and the US and there was still no guarantee that I would get anything.

 

Just be careful, he who gets the patent first has the biggest hammer!

Posted

Dang Cliff that sure does suck and I know its guys like yourself and the wifes uncle that do things old school that kept things going as they would take anything and make it work better then McGiver.

 

I hope the idea works and no one screws you over and Dragons den might be the right place but they like to see sale numbers first Brett might take a chance with you and if you go on there do like the one guy and dont let anyone but them see the idea

Posted

My buddy is going through this same thing with his invention. There is always a risk someone takes it. Only 10% change and the patent is void. Everyone you show must sign a letter of non disclosure written by a lawyer. You really need to either know someone with connections or have big $$$. Too bad that seems to be the way it works. There are many places around that can make you 3D prototypes which are always recommended when showing your product.

Posted

So I have come up with a great new idea for a fishing product but have no idea where to go from here. Is there any easy way to patent my idea before proceeding? I don't want to get screwed over by a person/company. I truly believe that this could be an amazing product, and that there is a fairly large market for it.

-Ben

 

If you think it will be a good product for a large market, I'd just go ahead and start production. Being first to market can be huge. Will your idea get ripped off? Eventually. But that can sometimes even be a promotional thing for you. Look at the Yamamoto Senko. Every soft bait manufacturer on the planet blatantly ripped it off and a lot of them even call them a similar name like Stik-O. But a lot of people (like myself) will pay the premium and reward the original, mostly because I have more confidence in the original and even when refering to the rip-offs, people still call them a senko as the brand name is now unanimous with the bait style. Kinda like a tissue is often called a Kleenex. In a global marketplace, especially with places in the far east that can and will duplicate your product using workers that are making less in a month than you would expect in a day, there's little you can do about it.

 

Instead of sitting on the idea and hoping to someday have the coin to protect it, I'd get the idea out there, start selling it and who knows, that might be the capital you need to get patents or whatever. Have a good solid product at a fair price and many will find a reason to keep buying your version over the imitations that pop up.

 

I've had lots of ideas and then found out later someone beat me to it, because I sat on it instead of actually doing something.

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