“Eureka!!!” – did you shout? Has an idea that once fired your imagination, and inspired you so much that you willingly spent long hours, days, months or even years researching, testing and turning it into a new invention with industrial applications, finally come to fruition? We have just one piece of advice for you – patent it!
The best way to protect the fruit of your hard work, which falls under the heading of “intellectual property”, is to use the well-established patent system. Why, you may ask? You would hardly want to forgo the reward you deserve in the form of financial returns from the manufacture and use of your invention, particularly if you expect it to be a great commercial success.
Patent protection
Patenting also gives your invention protection against piracy, meaning that producing, distributing or selling it without your express consent is illegal and subject to the relevant legal penalties. Importantly, patenting also offers strong protection against your invention being misused for purposes contrary to its original intent and good idea. A patent gives you at least 20 years’ protection against such misuse of the product of your ingenuity, imagination, determination, skill and courage, after which you may extend this period, or decide to let the patent lapse and release it for public commercial use. Patents and their associated licences can even be traded, and the financial rewards can reach truly dizzying heights.
What does an invention contribute?
It is not only about money, however. The greatest contribution of a true inventor and scientist is to enrich science and move an entire specialist field forward – a new invention can literally advance it by several years. Enriching the technical world with new knowledge and information then brings professional recognition and standing in the field. That too is a compelling reason to consider patent protection for your invention in good time, and so provide a source of inspiration for future generations of inventors and researchers.