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Who can help me with a patent?
Patent attorneys, agents and the USPTO can help with the patent process. Patent attorneys, patent agents, invention promotion companies, online form companies and the USPTO are all available to help you go through the patent process.
Who do I talk to about a patent?
If you have a question that is not answered here then what you can do is call the United States Patent Office. Yes, the Patent Office runs an Inventor Help Line and also has a lot of great information on their Inventors Resource Page. The Inventor Help Line number is 800-786-9199.
Who can help me with an invention idea?
Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website and investigate any patents on items like the one you want to invent. If you have questions or want to be sure your invention is legal for you to create and sell, consult with an attorney specializing in patents and IP law.
Can you request a patent application yourself?
You can file a patent application on behalf of yourself or your co-inventors. Alternatively, you can hire a registered patent agent or attorney to file your application for you. Patent applications require both legal and technical expertise and even small mistakes can dramatically compromise the value of the patent.
Do you need an attorney for a patent?
You do not need a patent attorney to apply for a patent. As an inventor, you can submit a patent for your own invention on your own behalf. Patent law is a highly technical legal field about highly technical subjects. Even if your invention is technically simple, writing a patent yourself can be very risky.
Can I protect my idea without a patent?
The short answer is no. Unfortunately, despite what you may have heard from late night television commercials, there is no effective way to protect an idea with any form of intellectual property protection. Copyrights protect expression and creativity, not innovation. Neither copyrights or patents protect ideas.
Where can I get free legal help with my patent application?
The USPTO also supports two programs that provide free legal assistance in the form of patent application preparation, filing, and prosecution services to inventors who cannot afford an attorney or agent. One of these programs, the Patent Pro Bono Program, seeks to match eligible inventors with volunteer patent practitioners.
Do I need a lawyer to apply for a patent?
In fact, federal law requires patent examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to help individual inventors who apply for patents without a lawyer’s help. To obtain a patent, you need to: make sure your invention qualifies for a patent, and. be able to describe all aspects of your invention.
How do I apply for a patent for my invention?
To apply for a patent, you must: Be sure that your invention is patentable. Perform patent research. Fill out your patent application. If you wish, submit a non-publication request. Communicate with the USPTO.
Can InventHelp help me apply for a patent?
InventHelp cannot and does not perform legal services associated with the seeking of patent protection. According to the law, only the inventor may apply for a patent, with certain exceptions. If a person who is not the inventor should apply for a patent, the patent, if it were obtained, would be invalid.