Avoid these pitfalls to protect yourself…
- Don’t demonstrate, describe, or offer to sell your invention until a patent application has been filed. You may lose your right to patent your invention by disclosing it to others.
- Don’t have a disclosure of your invention notarized and mailed to yourself. This practice can be dangerous and does not provide any protection for your invention.
- Don’t wait years to file a patent application. You may cause your rights to file for a patent to be abandoned by not acting diligently.
- Don’t apply for a patent if you̓re not the inventor. Not naming the true inventors on a patent application can invalidate any patent granted.
- Don’t try to patent your invention first without the help of a patent attorney. If an invention is worth patenting, it is worth having professional advice. At the very least, discuss your patent application with a patent attorney before filing. Trying to patent an invention yourself without professional help can lead to the loss of potentially valuable patent rights.