Every day we are having thoughts about how can we improve the functioning of many things that surround us. Sometimes, these thoughts can be worked out thoroughly, and come up with an invention that can ease certain processes or a product that was not present before. That can give you financial benefits, and a career with the opportunity to continue doing this.
Although sometimes the ideas come up easily, if you have been an innovator for a long time, you know how laborious the process is. After all that work put in the future innovation, you must be cautious and protect the innovation from being stolen from you.
We have created this article so we can explain to you how to protect your innovation better, and prevent getting your invention taken away from you. Implementing them is not hard, so you should consider some of them, if not everything.
1. Avoid conversations about your current project
Talking with people about your current projects can be the biggest setback that you do to yourself. There is no need for them to know what exactly are you currently working on. Even if you talk with someone close, things can slip up and cause problems.
You should especially be careful with people who work in the same field as you. Since they know how things function, they can speed up the whole process of having your idea stolen. That way, instead of being compensated and paid for your work, you get nothing.
Keeping things silent will make you more focused on your project so you can finish it quicker. If you are in need to talk to somebody, make sure that you visit professionals so the information never leaves the room, and your invention is safe.
2. Write down everything you do
It is really important to write down everything from the beginning when you have gotten the idea, and the whole process continuously. That way, you have proof that you are the one who has come up with the invention.
If you come up in a situation when someone has tried to steal your work, you can explain that you were the first one to engage in finishing the idea into a whole product. In addition, these writings become documents that you will need to submit as an application for a patent.
3. Use professional help
While you can do most of this work alone, sometimes you might end up being stuck. That is when things become slow, and you might frustrate over it. However, there are firms with professionals that you can use to overcome these obstacles.
They are obliged to be silent about anything you talk to, so you should not be afraid to explain your problem to them. Because they have worked with many people with similar problems as yours, the solution should be easy enough. As we have talked about above, instead of talking with friends or associates, these are the people you should address.
4. Submit patent application
To be completely sure that your innovation could not be stolen, you should submit a patent application. However, there are certain things that you should know before you apply. Firstly, you are not able to secure an idea, you have to work it up completely.
Secondly, there is a time frame when you are allowed to apply, if you are being late, you cannot secure your innovation and your work has been done in vain. That time frame means that you have twelve months from the first time you have talked about your project.
If you were not being careful, you may have violated this politic, leaving you with nothing. Now you can see why we said that you should not talk with anyone about your current project. Make sure that you work everything through, apply.
You will require all of your written documentation about your whole process, starting from the idea to the end. Those documents, combined with the form are essential for the application. However, make sure that you talk with the people in the patent firm so they can explain everything that you need so you are alleged to apply.
One thing that you should do before you go to the firm is to hire a professional to search if there is a similar or the same product somewhere else. With that certification, you are safe to proceed and save finances during your application period.
If you need any help with your patent and invention, visit https://inventhelp.com/inventhelp-faq
5. Do not reveal what you are up to online
One thing that can screw all your work is telling online what you are up to in the context of the current project. As we have explained above, the first time you state that you are working on something, that is where the timer starts. After that, you have only twelve months to finish the security of your invention.
Not only that you might miss the time frame when you are allowed to submit your application, but people may be faster than you and steal your work completely. It is really simple to avoid feeling devastated, and that is to stop bragging about what you do online. Just stay silent until you have finished and you should be good.
6. Make your colleagues sign an agreement to stay silent
Talking to your colleagues that you are working on something that has never been done before can cause certain problems. If they don’t think that is important and speak about that whether online or in public, they put you in a bad spot.
For that purpose, you should make them sign an agreement to stay silent. That way, you will have the full right to sue them if they break this deal. Additionally, your working place will be better because you will no longer feel restricted that you cannot talk about this innovation.
Some of your colleagues might not want to sign such an agreement, and that is completely fine. However, you should choose whether you will talk with them in detail, or completely remove them from the current project. You should not allow having your invention suffer because of someone’s reasons for not wanting to sign such an important document.
