Patent attorney's advice on how to protect your brilliant idea

Randy Shen, a lawyer for Abbott Labs, gave a great session on intellectual property at this year's Silicon Valley Code Camp. His big advice for all entrepreneurs and developers is to watch out for public disclosure, because when you do "publicly disclose" your idea, you potentially ruin your patent rights in the U.S. and most definitely in the worldwide market.

Other issues entrepreneurs need to think about are "For sale" and "Public use." Once you start selling your product without a patent or make it available for public use, you really damage your ability to secure a patent.

Watch the video as Shen goes into detail on these "don'ts" and then offers up some advice on some "do's" for entrepreneurs wanting to protect their patents.

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• Dice
• Code Camp
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• SVCC
• Developers

[jdstorm2010]

vipstorm. Thanks for the tips.

[InnovationEnthusiast]

@nfoniiart: If you want to mail ideas, do so to your local newspaper, it will stop someone else getting a patent on them.  But it does nothing to protect iP that you have developed.

[InnovationEnthusiast]

@nfoniiart: US is just on point (America Invents Act) of moving to "first to file". At best, and it's a limited benefit, the self addressed envelope indicates that you were woprking on an innovation. But that's not publicising your invention, and so it doesn't stop someone else getting a patent.

[dzuari]

@nfoniiart there is nothing illegal about it, but as far as it having any merit in a court of law, its a waste of time.

[nfoniiart]

mail my idea back to myself patent is that leagal