If you are ready to release an idea and you are sure that it can give you a handsome return on investment (ROI), you should make sure that nobody steals your rewards. Your idea is also called “Intellectual Property,” and it includes any type of original creation like a song, developing a film, a novel, or logo. Here are simple, and practical tips you can use to protect an idea you are going to patent.

Obtain a Provisional Patent

You can get initial protection called a provisional patent, and this alternative has a few requirements. When you file a provisional patent, you will get a pending status for 12 months, and you can use this period to discuss your invention freely and test its potential. During this period, you get the right to your invention and also get protection against other people who may want to try the idea after you.

However, you should know that a provisional application is valid for only 12 months, and you will need to file a non-provisional application. Filing a non-provisional application will help you complete the patent filing process, and no one can use it then without authorization. The patent may take some years until it is granted, and when you finally get it, the grant lasts for 20 years. You have the right to exclude other people from using or selling your invention. Confidentiality agreements can also help protect your idea, but they only apply to the people who have accepted the obligation.

Make Use of Videos

One great way of protecting your idea that you would like to patent is to use video clips. Videos are increasingly becoming successful marketing tools since they appeal to the emotional interests of the target audience. A video brochure can be customized in different forms, and it primarily aims to share your message. Since video brochures are screens embedded into hardcover or softcover, they cannot be easily stolen and this will help protect your patent idea. 

Register Your Idea With Appropriate Government Agency

If you want to guard against disputes that may arise over inventorship or authorship of an idea, it is essential to keep all the early drafts and detailed records of your development ideas. If you share the records with anyone, make sure you also keep the records so that you can use the details if you think these things violate your patent idea. Additionally, you must register your patent idea with the right government agency to ensure that the idea remains your sole property.

If you want to protect an idea that you intend to patent, you need to keep all the records that you can use if someone steals your idea. You also need to get a provisional patent that you can use for 12 months while you work on getting a full license for your patent. Video brochures can also go a long way in protecting your patent idea so that it is not violated as a video provides undisputed evidence about your original idea.