One Simple Idea

Shortly after I left Worlds of Wonder, I formed a partnership with Russell Hicks, who had done the illustrations for Teddy Ruxpin. I would come up with an idea, and Russell would draw it out. I’d write up a benefit statement, and we’d create a sell sheet. Sometimes, we’d make an inexpensive mock-up of the idea, photograph it, and incorporate the ph

marketability, manufacturability, and profitability . . . but also follow your heart and trust your gut. If you do that and focus on simple ideas, at least in the beginning, you will be successful in bringing your ideas to market.

I would not even consider filing a nonprovisional patent application myself, and I strongly advise you to retain the services of a patent attorney if and when you need to file a patent for your idea.

What Is a Patent? A patent is a legal property right granted to the person or entity that designs, invents, or cultivates a new (novel) and original (nonobvious) product, process, technology, or service of monetary value. A patent grants the patent holder the exclusive right to make, sell, or use the idea for a specified period of time, during whic

who knows about your idea, what they know about it, how you tell them about it, and when. So protect your idea with a PPA and an NDA before showing it to anybody. And remember: as nice and helpful as kudos and feedback from your inner circle and industry experts might be, the only opinion that really matters is that of the company licensing your id

Do Your Homework Before Contacting an Attorney Before calling a patent or licensing attorney, learn as much as you can about the patent application process and about intellectual property protection. Make sure you also know how your idea will be manufactured, and document those manufacturing processes.

Before you even think about initiating a PPA—in fact, from the moment you first come up with your idea—you should start an “inventor’s logbook” and keep it updated. An accurate and detailed logbook is your first line of defense in protecting your idea. Under U.S. patent law, intellectual property ownership is based upon “first to invent,” not first

There are some real advantages to filing a PPA: • The filing fee is only $110. • The application is simple enough that you can do it yourself, without an attorney. • It does not require the formal documentation that a regular nonprovisional patent application requires. You can submit simple drawings and even photographs of rough mock-ups. • It prov

To my mind, that is the most important thing: to develop a product that someone wants to bring to market without spending a lot of your own money.