Can I patent my own idea?

[nevillealston]

I was wondering that if I had a business idea that i felt could honestly make me tons of money, could I actually patent this idea?

Thanks Warriors!

[Alexa Smith]

It varies from country to country.

In the US, you can, technically, patent a business method, in principle. The Patent and Trademark Office used to have a requirement that in order to be patentable, a business method must be directly related to technology, but this requirement was dropped in 2005 (partly because so many people found a way round it very easily by computerising their systems and claiming that computers are inherently "technological").

[Jill Carpenter]

FYI, getting a patent can cost you a couple thousand dollars.

Also, you will need to be as detailed as possible. You can't just say "my idea is for a shiny red beach ball" but you have to give the process of how that red shiny beach ball gets that way (I believe)

[CDarklock]

Originally Posted by nevillealston

I was wondering that if I had a business idea that i felt could honestly make me tons of money, could I actually patent this idea?

Talk to a patent attorney.

A lot of things that should be patentable aren't.

A lot of things that shouldn't be patentable are.

The only way to really know which one you have is to talk to a patent attorney.

[mywebwork]

Originally Posted by avenuegirl

FYI, getting a patent can cost you a couple thousand dollars.

True.

And it can also take a long time - even an "accelerated" patent can take 18 months to 3 years before it is completed. If it's an idea for the web then it's good chances are someone will come up with the same idea within that period.

Most of the process and laws regarding patents were established long before the Internet became part of the common vernacular.

Bill

[Amanda_Davis]

You can't patent an idea, only the implementation of an idea... i.e. the process you use to make the idea work.

[Loren Woirhaye]

If you have an innovative idea valuable enough to patent,
chances are you would do well to license it to a 3rd party
with the capital to implement it on a large scale and make
big profits before competitors knock-off the idea.

While a patent does offer some protection, as a practical
matter making money from an idea is usually a matter of
having the ability (and money) to implement it in a
substantial manner.

[milan]

The short answer is: no.
The good news is: if it could make you a lot of money, then why don't you make a lot of money and who cares about unimportant things like patents.

[AverageGuy]

patent costs lots of money, especially if the patent may make you $$$$$$. you need cover every aspect of it. usually, you can not simply patent an idea, you will have to have something to show it works, either the design, or the product.

however, if you just need some cover first, check Provisional Application for Patent. it will costs you 1k-2k, and give you some rights about the patent.


david

[Alexa Smith]

This older thread has leapt back to life again and is suddenly full of misinformation now!

In the US (unlike many countries), you can patent a "business idea", usually (the law on this point has changed), especially if its application involves using a computer. And the cost of getting a patent does not depend on how much money you can make from the idea.

[AverageGuy]

you forget one thing: lawyer will charge more, although the patent application itself does not cost more. the more promising the patent is, the more the lawyers will charge,

david

[Fox30]

getting a patent doesn't cost a couple of thousand dollars...it costs thousands upon thousands, upon thousands. What doesn't cost very much is a patent pending.

I know for personal experience.