Don't Let Your Idea Fade Away

Don't Let Your Idea Fade Away

If you come up with a unique, original and useful idea for a product, don't let it fade into obscurity or allow someone else to get the credit for it. You deserve to make money off of your idea; the only way to do this is to apply for patent rights on your invention so that nobody else can manufacture your product without your consent.


You can't copyright an idea because ideas are abstract and more than one person can come up with the same idea at the same time. However, you can do the next best thing--create a prototype of your idea and then apply for patent rights on your prototype.

Provisional Patents

Visit the website for the U.S. Patent Office to apply for patent. Although you can't copyright an idea, you can apply for a provisional patent while you are still developing your idea. To apply for a provisional patent, you have to have a written description of your invention and in some cases, you may also need to include sketches of your prototype. Provisional patents are granted for 12 months; if you don't have your full patent after this period of time, the idea will no longer be protected. You can't renew a provisional patent.

Getting Ready for The Full Patent

After you get your provisional patent, you should create a working prototype of your idea as quickly as possible. Once you've built your prototype, you can apply for your full patent. Your patent application includes detailed descriptions and drawings of your prototype and explanations of how it differs from other products already on the market. Your idea must be significantly different than anything else already in production. For example, you can't patent an object that is a differently-colored version of an existing product. The U.S. Patent Office will check your application against filed patents to make sure your idea is original before granting the patent. Getting a patent can take several months or even years; there is no set time frame for establishing a patent.

Applying for Patents

Filing a patent application takes time and effort. You have to research other patents, build a prototype, and write detailed descriptions of your invention. However, it is worth it to do this work because if the U.S. Patent Office grants your patent, you will have the sole right to make money off your idea for the next several years.