May 8, 2009, Newsletter Issue #166: Advantages of Filing For a Provisional Patent

Tip of the Week

A provisional patent is a type of invention patent application. It will not result in an actual patent unless you convert the provisional patent application to a regular utility patent application. So why bother with a provisional patent application?

Your attorney may think a provisional patent application might be right for you if you have an invention that is ready for licensing or if you have licensing interest but have not yet filed for a patent. That's because it costs only $100 and it allows you to state that your product is ‘patent pending', giving you a fair amount of protection when negotiating your license. And perhaps best of all, if your licensing deal is successful, you would still be listed on the actual patent as the inventor and you can negotiate for the licensee to pick up the actual utility patent fees and costs.

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