I have an idea for a product I want to market, Should I get a patent first? What is my first step?

You need to look at the following areas at least: copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secrets. Each have their own requirements. For example,...

Does the employer has any rights in what I developed during employment?

There are several questions that determine the answer. First, is there an employee agreement? Almost all companies that do this type of work make...

IPhone Software and Existing Hardware Patents

Only thing I would add is that you are going to spend a lot of money getting an opinion (particularly if you opt for a formal written opinion,...

Only thing I would add over the previous answers is that if you do it anyway knowing you are infringing someone's patent any damages would be tripled.

Your main worry should be patents, and realistically from a business point of view it is likely best to simply go forward with your idea (possibly...

Is it safe to show details of my invention including prototype to an interested manufacturer even before signing an NDA?

No, that's the short answer. In addition, an NDA may not protect what you think it does. A provisional patent application is often the best...

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Does my invention infringe this prior art?

I will not comment on your specific situation but will address the relevant principles in general. If your invention has improvements that the...

After my product is patented in U.S., should I patent in other countries before manufacturing and marketing in U.S. ?

You can blow an awful lot of money on international protection. When thinking about international protection, you should generally focus on two...

Please Help me Learn about these patent questions and understand.

Claims can be of several types, one of which is a process or method. Direct infringement in the case of a method generally requires that you show...

How can I protect a business idea while in the process of developing it and not have somone steal my idea?

I generally recommend filing a provisional patent application for cases like this. Provisional applications can be filed cheaper than a full...