4 ms·

Its kind of expensive. About $30-50k for the entire process. For a big company with deep pockets and IP lawyers already on retainer that price is just the cost

by yardie 4y ago

Its kind of expensive. About $30-50k for the entire process. For a big company with deep pockets and IP lawyers already on retainer that price is just the cost of doing business and an investment of beating the competition. If your an individual $30k for a not sure bet is a hell of a lot of money. A good friend patented a makeup applicator and she's not sure if she'll ever get that money back.

Eratosthenes 4y ago
You can DIY-it for a lot less. I patented an invention for about $2k. I wrote the claims, specification, and produced the technical drawings myself. Then I had everything reviewed by a patent attorney. If you have a lot of spare money or you're hoping that your patent is going to be the next big thing you may want to shell out for patent lawyers though. On the other hand, there are cases where even the pros make serious mistakes in drafting patents despite all of the money they charge, because no one really understands an invention like the inventor. So there's a lot to be said for understanding how the patent process works, especially if you might become a prolific inventor at some point, which it sounds like this teenager is well on his way toward. Then it's likely worth the time investment to understand the basics of IP law and patents.
potamic 4y ago
Why does it cost so much to file a patent? Isn't one able to draft and submit an application by themselves?
- Eratosthenes 4y ago
  It doesn't cost that much to file a patent. It costs a ton of money to hire lawyers though.
- yardie 4y ago
  You can do a lot of things on your own and you may even be successful at it but there are so many roadblocks intentionally put in your way. If you don't have the expertise to file an application paying someone else to counsel may be prudent. If you do have the expertise you'll probably make more being hired to file than the actual patent filer. Anyway, she thought of an idea. Sketched and prototyped it. Hired a lawyer to file it and that was step 1. She wasn't able to manufacture, license, or sell her patent. She went back to being a makeup artist and was mildly successful streaming. Other friends with patents work for large corps (Siemens, Microsoft, Motorola) who handle it all automatically. They might have got a plaque and a annual bonus for their effort. None are wildly richer for it.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
    I got a dollar, for mine...

by yardie 4y ago

Eratosthenes 4y ago

You can DIY-it for a lot less. I patented an invention for about $2k. I wrote the claims, specification, and produced the technical drawings myself. Then I had everything reviewed by a patent attorney. If you have a lot of spare money or you're hoping that your patent is going to be the next big thing you may want to shell out for patent lawyers though. On the other hand, there are cases where even the pros make serious mistakes in drafting patents despite all of the money they charge, because no one really understands an invention like the inventor. So there's a lot to be said for understanding how the patent process works, especially if you might become a prolific inventor at some point, which it sounds like this teenager is well on his way toward. Then it's likely worth the time investment to understand the basics of IP law and patents.

potamic 4y ago

Why does it cost so much to file a patent? Isn't one able to draft and submit an application by themselves?

Eratosthenes 4y ago
It doesn't cost that much to file a patent. It costs a ton of money to hire lawyers though.
yardie 4y ago
You can do a lot of things on your own and you may even be successful at it but there are so many roadblocks intentionally put in your way. If you don't have the expertise to file an application paying someone else to counsel may be prudent. If you do have the expertise you'll probably make more being hired to file than the actual patent filer. Anyway, she thought of an idea. Sketched and prototyped it. Hired a lawyer to file it and that was step 1. She wasn't able to manufacture, license, or sell her patent. She went back to being a makeup artist and was mildly successful streaming. Other friends with patents work for large corps (Siemens, Microsoft, Motorola) who handle it all automatically. They might have got a plaque and a annual bonus for their effort. None are wildly richer for it.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  I got a dollar, for mine...