How Can I Patent an Idea and Then Sell My Idea

Jan. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- I have a great idea that I just want to sell so someone else can use it or apply it to their process, how can I patent my idea?

First of all since ideas are like opinions, dime a dozen, you can’t own your ideas without some legal steps in order to be in a position to sell your idea or plans to do a certain task. Legally speaking, there are intellectual property laws that make selling your ideas possible.

In order to patent an idea you must file what is called a provisional patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and once you receive your patent, then and only then have you registered and created a tangible document that states that you in fact own your idea.

HowCanIPatentAnIdea.blogspot.com

To merely want to sell a quote; ‘good idea’ has crossed many a mind from time to time and it sounds logical that if someone comes up with a good idea that someone would be willing to buy it. And you would be correct, but there is a right and wrong way to do this.

One major mistake people make is to suggest an idea to their employer and then expect some form of financial compensation after the employer takes the idea and applies it. This falls under legal terms of basically being under the shelter of the company as an employee and any ‘ideas’ that are shared are the property of the company. This may not sound morally correct, but legally you have simply passed on a working environment solution to a company problem and therefore were just doing your job.

The moral to that type of story is to think before you speak. Ideas are and can be very valuable, but it is how and when you share your ideas, that make the difference in whether you can cash in on them or not.

Intellectual properties are what is refer to a person’s rights to protect them from someone stealing their ideas, music, plans, and other possessions that are not a visual property. In other words you do have the ability to protect yourself from someone having specific use of your ideas, but it must be documented with a patent first. Then you possess the ability to protect and sell at your choosing your ideas.

Think of it this way, say you are at a party or a meeting, and this does happen quite often, you engage in a conversation and someone mentions that they have an idea. You leave the meeting and later decide that was a great idea, I think I’ll try to sell it as my own idea. That is what causes a whole mess of problems on a daily basis. Who actually owns that idea and who wants to collect on the idea? That is what a provisional patent is meant to resolve.

Unfortunately each country has their own laws regarding intellectual property rights so make sure you know where you are and what you are entitled to as far as the law of the land you are in.