Hi Dmitri With all the limitations on the problems with drafting your own patent as highlighted in the previous thread, consider doing the following:
How to lodge your own Patent: I’m interested but cash strapped – what should / can I do? 1.Draft a detailed description of your invention 2.Include the problem your invention overcomes 3.Lodge this with IP Australia as a Provisional Patent 4.Pay $80 filing fee 5.Announce that you have a Patent Pending 6.When you have more money (& within 12 months) lodge a complete specification via a Patent Attorney Have a look at at our expert system to help you understand the issues and use the patent wizard if you think that it is helpful as suggested by other SiliconBeach contributors. https://pericles.ipaustralia.gov.au/ols/ecentre/content/olsProvPatentInfo.jsp http://www.1place.com.au/expert/expert_wizard.php?area_id=12 http://www.patentwizard.com/ The majority of patents in Australia in recent years are found to be enforceable in the Court and rarely would a infringer go into Court without first trying to settle an infringement. There have been low points in the enforcement of patents by the Courts (particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s) but it has now swung the other way. NDA: there are problems with NDAs - see http://www.1place.com.au/expert/expert_wizard.php?area_id=9 Other issues are finding the right people: One service that we provide is putting inventors together with technologies that are potentially symbiotic, so instead of lone or small company seeking to sell to a large company, we enable the individuals to combine resources to support each other to get to promote their product. Basically this introduces you to people with harmonious technologies to share ideas and support each other in getting the sale. We also introduced technologies to purchasers; however, we wont do this without a patent first being in place (whether you get a patent on your own or via us does not matter) since we will not share your technology with anyone else until we have permission and there is a clear chain of title that it is yours. The other service that we introduced is micro-finance services for small startups who have a great idea but no money - much in the model as http://www.kiva.org/ We do the work (or help you do the work) as a loan and get repaid on a monthly basis via micro-payments. If you have any ideas on how we could help you and others in a better way please let us know. I hope this helps. Good luck 1Place 1p.com.au On Nov 16, 12:43 am, Dmitri <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi, > > Here is a general question I would like to ask after reading the > discussion on "protecting inventiveness": > > How is it possible for a small business to protect their ideas? Under > a small business I mean a really small one: two guys in a garage or > so. > > I wish I was wrong but I think that this is not possible. A small > business doesn't have enough resources to solve this problem. > > My current approach to the problem of protecting ideas: "do not do > it" (well, almost). It is better to fail because someone "steals" > "your" idea than to fail because you spend time and money trying to > protect it. The net result is the same but the first way is much > quicker :) > > Patents? In the majority of cases they are for big companies like arms > race is for big countries. A patent is just a piece of paper and it > protects nothing until a court decision is made. I think a small > company is better off spending their very limited resources on > something else but drafting patents and defending them later in the > court (which seems hopeless). > > Non disclosure agreements? It is a mater of a goodwill of a big > company to honor the agreement and there are many ways to workaround > NDA. Again, it is a matter of resources if one wants to draft an NDA > and then to ask a big company to sign it. They may even refuse to talk > to you if you start from NDA. > > Here is a more specific question along same lines: > How would you sell a product to a big company? What would stop them > from implementing a similar thing by themselves or outsource it to > their partners? > The only one thing that helps here is when the idea is well executed. > But, by definition of a small company, an idea can't be very well > executed (no resources). > > Any thoughts? Prove me wrong. > > Dmitri. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach Australia mailing list. Guidelines on discussion: http://tr.im/ujKF No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself: http://tr.im/ujMm To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia?hl=en?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
