First, a note about PatentPro Plus. I surfed the web briefly to see if it's the same one I'm mildly familiar with. I can't tell, but I think it is. I heard an interview with the author of this (or a similar) program. From what I can tell, the people who wrote it are from a fairly respectable firm and know what they're doing. However, I still have my doubts given the complexity of writing a patent application.
Second, a note about self help (DIY patent application drafting). Sure, it's not rocket science (although rocket science itself isn't quite as incomprehensible as many think). However, I've been writing patent applications and papers to file in association with patent applications for 12 years full time. I worked for two years before I was allowed to sign my own papers. I worked for another year before the partners stopped reviewing my work. That's 3 years full time before being considered competent. I've had associates work under my supervision and I see why it takes so long. Mistakes made by people who haven't "been around the block" are quite embarrassing to people who know better.
I'm not saying attorneys are better than regular folk. I'm just saying this is a skill that takes time to develop. It takes years of experience, study, and learning to get it right. And, if you think you can pick up the skill in a long weekend, go for it. But I have to warn you, it's one thing to write a patent application. It's another thing entirely to write a patent application that has a good chance of issuing as a patent. It's still another thing to write a patent application that is likely to issue as a patent that will cover a useful range of feasible workarounds. And, it's still another thing entirely to write a patent application that has a good chance of issuing as a patent which covers a useful range of feasible workarounds and is likely to withstand challenges in court.
Having said that, if you still want to avoid attorneys as if they have a plague, use patent agents. And, you can write your own application to save money, but I still strongly recommend that you have someone who knows what they're doing look at it before you file it.
It may not be rocket science, but it was easier to learn how to fly an airplane than it was to learn to write a good patent application.
One last note about Mr. A's frequently expressed opinion on the matter. I didn't quite get the gist of his woe; however, Mr. A has on ocassion challenged me to identify specific patents, specific clients, and amounts of money made from the patents. I won't do that because confidentiality laws won't allow me to. However, I'll go ahead and state that one client sold its patent portfolio (that I built) for $7million. The vast majority of my clients had revenues much greater than their costs in obtaining patents. Perhaps the main difference is that most of my clients (corporations or individuals) were obtaining patents as part of a bigger business they were developing. The portfolios I've built have helped attract funding, attract mergers and/or acquisitions as exit strategies, have been enforced successfully again competitors, etc. In short, they bring real, quantifiable value. However, if you're sitting at home hoping to collect royalty checks for your patent and not really developing the product/service yourself, you're fighting an uphill battle and could probably use a reality check of some sort. Of course, it's not impossible to generate income having only a patent and no business built around it. In fact, I have one client who's been quite successful doing exactly that. But he works hard at it.
I realize this is quite long and touches on quite a few topics. Each of these could easily be its own thread. However, I hope my comments were helpful or at least interesting to some.
Regards.
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Topic: PatentPro Plus (Read 4845 times)
