Applying for a Patent – reality check

There's a saying…

“patent protection is only as good as the size of your bank balance”

A mistake people make when applying for a patent, is to think it provides an exclusive right to pursue their project without interference. It does not. A Patent is a sword and not a shield, and whilst providing the right to attack someone who attempts to infringe your technological rights, it does not ‘prevent’ someone from infringing your rights should they wish to do so.

Patent enforcement is extremely expensive and a high stakes game. Only those with substantial bank balances tend to be the ones who play. The problem is… all big technological product / design holders know this.

Another mistake inventor tend to make is to apply for a patent based on idea or technology that has not been proven or developed. The problem here is, unless the idea or technology has been proven or developed, the patents description and claims would be based on assumptions and supposition and not a detailed specification – and it’s a detailed specification that’s the bedrock for strong and robust IP.