rockhopper

How long has it been since you invented the lure ? How long has it been since you published the lure ? If it has been less than a year on publishing it or offering it for sell you might be able to file now, and burn their butts. It depends on the details of all this.

You actually can't copyright sayings,, these fall under the trade mark laws Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; familiar symbols or designs; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering, or coloring; mere listings of ingredients or contents, can not be copyrighted Trade Mark 75313587 Unless you just want a local trade mark, don't fool around with state ones, go for the real McCoy

The cost varies depending on the type of patent you are seeking,, a design patent which is worthless, in my opinion, on most inventions, but can have a limited protection on lures as this protects what something "looks like" it has little to do with function, but in lures sometimes the looks are what you want to protect,, or all you can protect. Many lures have never been patented, and now cant get a patent on them, (well it's possible to get one, but not enforce it) because they have been published and sold by others. Design patent cost around 1500 dollars for getting it draw up and filing You can't file for any patent after 12 months of the invention being published, disclosed, used in public, or sold, or even offered for sale. Well you can file after these but you can't get the patent to stand up, if anyone knocks it off, and can prove any of the above. Utility patents run anywhere from 3500 dollars to 100,000 dollars, with the average costing around 8 thousand or so. It all depends on how many office actions is involved, each time that patent attorney or agent has to answer to the USPO it's going to cost you. I have one that cost 13,000, and another that will cost around 11,000 just for the legal fees. I license my inventions so I don't pay these cost

Jerry asked me to join this web site, hoping I might be able to help some of you with true information about how to go about protecting your fishing inventions, licensing your inventions, or venturing your inventions. I have been at this quite some time, I know a lot about patent, and copy right law, what I don't know, I will ask the many friends that I have that are patent professionals, I will not B.S. you on something I don't know, but I am not a lawyer, and all advice I give pertaining to patent law is just from a well informed layman, who has been there and done that. I am now considered an insider of the fishing industry, with most manufacturers knowing me by name, or product, I have spoken to most of them personally, many face to face. I know how this game is played from every angle, and I'm never going to tell you it is an easy way to make a buck, it's far from easy, but it can be done, I have done it, over, and over again. I have one patent issued, another about to issue, and 6 more pending, I have never spent a dime of my own money on patenting, and all of these fishing inventions are licensed, and making me money now. You don't need money, to make all this work for you,, you just need to know how to play the game. I'm here to help teach some of you that, but don't expect me to be writing a book on here,, there is just too much for me to try to post here,, I will try to answer direct questions. I don't have all the answers for everyone, and everyone's product. I hope to stop some myths about patents ,and other ways to protect your "IP" No, is the answer before you ask, I will not give out private phone numbers, or email addresses to manufacturer's CEO's No you can not use me as a reference, to get to talk to any of these guys, If I like your product and think it might have a good chance of them licensing it,, then that of course is a different matter. It takes a lot of my time to figure out if a new product is licensable, if you want me to do that, we will talk about it in privet. --