If you have an idea for a product you think the world needs...?

Question

...how does an average person with no business connections go about getting their idea off the ground? Are companies open to being approached by members of the public who have product ideas? And how do you go about protecting your idea? Ta muchly to any answerers

Answer 1

hi, companies are sometimes open to product ideas. being a marketing consultant i bring new products to market for clients all the time. i have found the best way to do it is to develop the idea yourself and do sometime of launch (a website usually works great) if the product is successful trust me someone that is interested will contact you and offer to buy the rights to your product. please do as much research as possible to see if your idea will be accepted in a market. it will save you a ton of headaches and possible alot of money. hope this helps, if you have any further questions please dont hesitate to ask me by email

Answer 2

First you have to patent or copyright whatever it is because if you just go to some company with your idea, especially in the US, they'll steal it from you so fast it will make your head spin, and even if you have a patent or whatever they've been known to steal it too and just say "sue me" and hope you don't have the resources to fight them, although there have been some very high dollar patent infringement settlements that may give them a little pause. The government not getting involved in this sort of corporate theft and letting the inventor fend for themselves is stiffeling innovation and killing potential new industries and potential growth

Answer 3

First of all you need to protect your idea through a patent. You do not want anyone stealing your product idea.

http://www.intellectual-property.gov.uk/faq/patents/what.htm
http://www.uspto.gov/web/patents/howtopat.htm
http://www.inc.com/articles/2000/03/18173.html
http://inventors.about.com/od/applicationforms/a/get_patent.htm

If you plan to manufacture yourself you need to write a business plan. Help is available on the internet. This plan is primarily for potential investors in your business. Please note that if you intend to seek investors you would have to make some proven financial investment in the business. No one is willing to put their money on your idea if you have not done so yourself.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,319932,00.html
http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_Node/0,4507,109,00.html

If on the other hand you are not interested in manufacturing the product yourself, you may consider getting a contract manufacturer. If there is any secret formulations involved in your product idea, you may want to code the raw materials to be used and be the one to provide them to your manufacturer. In that way they wont have a clue what they are using. Similarly, you may want to send pre mixtures assuming that it is a liquid product.
Whatever the product, once you have a patent you have some protection and you can decide who to ask to manufacture your product. Companies like 3M encourage new product ideas so if you think you have a great idea please approach them after you get the idea patented. All the best!

Answer 4

Don't you just hate it when someone actually has a decent questiona and nobody answers it!

I dragged these off of the BBC website for you

The following contacts are useful for inventors hoping to get their ideas off the ground:

http://www.innovation.gov.uk/

Institute of Patentees and Inventors:
http://www.invent.org.uk/

For advice about patenting contact:

The Patent Office Central Enquiry Unit:
http://www.patent.gov.uk/

Inventors can search over 44 million patent documents for free at The British Library. For further information call 0207 412 7919.