Thread: Protecting a New Design

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and experiences. I suppose that my biggest problem is the thought that I could finish up with the same outcome as last time, I have no expectations of getting rich over the whole thing so the bar is set pretty low. During the last episode I said to Mrs. P that I thought I was going to get screwed for want of a better word but I couldn't see how. On reflection I was right so I am not going to go forward without some pretty good assurances this time. I sometimes wonder if I am being totally naive over the whole thing.

Mick, when you get a chance can you give me a call please.

I am in a similar position in that I have a simple product that hasn't been done before - anywhere. There are no patents recorded anywhere in the world that is even close to what I came up with. If it were to come to market I suspect that it could become a mandated product to be used in a few industries... It works so well that it makes me laugh everytime I have to pull it out to use it and try it will different materials and situations. But! being so simple anyone could copy it in a day or two, so I keep it to myself. If anyone asks I just put it away and change the subject...

My understanding of releasing anything to the market is you need to hit the world, or at least all the developed countries, hard and fast first in hopes that you brand imprint. And as the product has no competition it's sold at maximum value, and decreases over time as competition reaches the market. And in a few years, it's probably withdrawn as the chinese have flooded the market with rip offs. So you need capital - lots of it and the other resources needed to get it to market quick. Or an investor that believes in you and has a track record of ethics and can get it to market in lightening speed... The other problem one person designers face is creadibility. Not many investors out there, that are trust worthy, put stock in unproven people. Product maybe good but if the person behind it is an idiot, it's not worth it to them to find that out the hard way. Patents for products that aren't worth tens if not millions of dollars aren't worth the paper they're printed on if it costs more to defend them.

My thoughts are to try to find an ethical manufacturer that is in the area of my product, develope a relationship with them and eventually approach them with the idea. If that fails, I haven't the business acumen to get it to market adequately, in a way that would pay off, so it will stay exclusive to me.

I have thought selling the idea for what would be a bargain price in commercial terms might be the best solution for me. I would accept that I might not get the full reward that some might say I deserve, Miss P. is definitely of that opinion but at least I would get something. The last effort resulted in some big bills and zero return to pay them and others got a lot of money for whar basically was my idea.

I am pushing on and arranging for prototypes to be made into metal so the big decision time is months away and if I decide it is all too hard it will go back into the cardboard box never to see the light of day again. As pointed out above this is such a simple device one brief look is all it would take to copy it. On the other hand it is within a sport that is relatively small as sports go and copies would not make anyone a fortune either. Certainly the Chinese would not even bother as they have not made any attempts to move into the sport as the numbers are not there.

Its a nasty area to be in.....with people who can pinch your ideas and make money from them. Years ago the ABC, ran for a short period, a program looking at inventors who were ready to show the world what they had. In nearly every case large manufacturers developed the inventors ideas and that gave them "the right" to walk all over the inventors who ended up with nothing.

One tip one inventor found was, to not let one only manufacturer make and assemble the invention. He said that it is best to break up the manufacturing process into small pieces and give these small pieces to small workshops who were happy to just do what ever was necessary to make these small components. The inventor went on to say he would pick up these components and assemble them into the invention by himself and then put them up for sale.

Your situation may not be as simple as what I have written but it does give you some thing to ponder. I hope you can go forward with this venture and that you will enjoy the journey to the sales point