Hi all.
I have a behind the ear hearing aid (and possibly for cochlar implant wearers who use the tube/earmold set up) related invention (its a new fashion accessory. PM me if you wanna know more) Right now I’m having trouble breaking into the business. I don’t have a site yet since everyone’s so paranoid that someone will steal my ideal. I am pursuing a patent. Even that is going to be kind of dicey since my product is so new that there’s really nothing else like it out there.
How do I introduce the concept to audilogists and other professionals and consumers?
I don’t know too many deaf and hard of hearing people in real life. …Have tried at least one Exhibit Hall at a conference but that was very expensive and not very profitable as most people there were the old lady audis/speech therapists/oral teachers. Any ideas for me to help get this product on the market? I did take an Inventions 101 course, but this is very specialized.
I have an awesome product. (I’ve had people complement me on them on the NYC subway, and everyone seems to think its an awesome idea)
But how do I get it to the actual market?
Do a search on James Dyson, you’ll learn a lot from his tale. Although things worked out in the end, it took a long time - and could have gone the other way.
Having looked into UK patents twice before, my view is that it is a minefield, also large companies tend to be a bit odd when it comes to intellectual property.
You need to be paranoid, although that is an contradiction in terms.
That’s a good thing, not a bad thing. The more novel it is the better chance you have to get a patent.
Marketing and sales.
But you know that, so let’s get down to brass tacks. If you are of limited means, you could try to simply sell it to a large manufacturer in the industry (but wait until you have all the IP rights secured first before talking to them) or else you just need to do the legwork - knocking on doors and talking up people who make corporate decisions. Not very glamorous, I know, but that’s where it’s at.
It’s an accessory, I take it? Like a decorative item?
I outlaid the basics, but need more information before I can give a definitive answer.
But don’t give it here in this thread. You need to play your cards close to your chest.
What’s that? 7 years until the patent is maybe issued? The one **AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet **will have no ability to defend because he has no cash coming in? Get your priority date if you really think there’s something patentable then focus on starting your business.
I don’t really understand the idea though. Is it a fashion accessory or a medical device? If it’s a fashion accessory, what about it do you think is patentable, AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet? Is there something functional about it? Are you certain you don’t need premarket approval to sell it? I wouldn’t think so, but have you investigated the regulatory environment of your space?
Assuming you can sell it, are you ready to manufacture it in volume and do you have a handle on what your direct costs will be? Have you researched what you think it can be sold for and what that means to your margin? Are you interested in selling it direct to the end user and if not, what do your potential sales channels mean for your margin?
What if you made a list of the top 25 companies you’d like to be buying your invention and interviewed some medical device sales reps who have experience selling similar products to those companies? If you don’t have sales experience, working with an experienced outside sales rep on commission can be a good way to start but you’re going to need to convince them there’s a substantial market for your product and that you have the ability to deliver them if they get your orders.
We, or at least I, don’t know that. Different countries have different rates of prosecution. AAWAYCG didn’t specify what country the wanted to get a patent in.
(I’m really sick of defending myself against IP dilettantes on this message board).
We, or at least I, don’t know that. He may have access to cash. I guessed not, but who knows? Not I.
What do you think he’s doing in the NYC subways?
And what makes you think I’m a dilettante as opposed to someone with actual experience starting and growing businesses based around substantial IP? Are ALL the business people, private and institutional investors with actual experience starting businesses who think beginners are prone to over value patents dilettantes or are we just all wrong?
Why did you tell him to not actively pursue sales until he had a patent if you assumed he couldn’t afford to defend it? If he had the cash, do you think litigating patent infringements would be the best investment in a business that never got around to selling its product?
Probably he’s traveling from one place to another. He might even live in New York City, but that doesn’t concern me at all because he’s asking about the best market for his product or the best way to access that market.
You’re a dilettante in terms of IP. You might be an expert in starting and running successful businesses, I don’t know. If you are, you’re advice is probably more valuable to the poster than mine is. Just don’t try to suggest that my IP advice is wrong - it’s not, given the limited information we have.
I am, and you are wrong. There’s not some Chinese wall between understanding IP and understanding how your business’s IP effects your business. You might have a point if you were giving him advice on a technical matter of patent law. But you weren’t. You were giving business advice suggesting that waiting until a patent is issued would somehow make his idea defensible and you’re wrong.
I never said he should wait until a patent was issued.
This is why it’s painful to talk about IP with non lawyers.
Carry on and pretend I wasn’t here.
Thanks for that. I didn’t mean to be mean about it, but the poor guy is trying to start a business and I couldn’t let incorrect advice go uncorrected. I think this has been a good illustration of the important difference between understanding the technical details of intellectual property law and understanding the importance of intellectual property as it relates to a new venture.