should I give out a product idea to a company if they seem interested so far?

Question

I'm in the process of getting 3 patents and want to sell them to a technology company when they're done, but I also want to make money fast. I've sent emails and letters to about 5 or 6 companies and the only one that responded and seemed really interested and able to work with me on it was Creative Labs (the website's us.creative.com if you need to see a product.) The thing is they're saying their R and D is very busy at the moment, and will contact later if they are interested. Should I basically tell them one of my ideas and say they can only use it if they have my permission and if I work with them on it? Or should I just keep waiting and sending emails to them until they reply again? This idea could really help them out, but I'm naturally greedy ( :( ), so I need a way to get it to them without them stealing the idea. Are they legally allowed to use it without my permission before I patent it? and if anyone's ever had experience with this, please contact me or just answer. thnx.

I'm actually only 13, so I don't have the power or the knowledge to really know the exact way my ideas would work. That's basically why I'm not just marketing the products myself.

Answer 1

As a patent holder let me give you some advice here:
(1) You may be hungry - pull your belt tight and try to wait it out
(2) Register your patent ASAP - say ZERO to anyone else
(3) Once your patent is registered, when you talk to companies make then sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with Breach Guarantee where they have to register with a Bond agent that will secure a bond of say $5million, $10million or whatever you think your patent is worth and have it in the NDA that if they develop or reverse engineer or anything along those lines a product that is or mimics or competes with your product and idea, they are in Breach and have to pay you the bond money.

Now, a final word of advice. BUILD the item. Have a unit as a demo. Do not just write an idea down. Once you have it built, price out the parts and the item and figure out how to replicate it cheaply over and over again. Then make a few extra prototypes. Start up your own company and offer the product for sale.

Once you have a physical product that backs up a patent and you offer it for sale, you win in court all the time. Now that you have it available for sale and can replicate it, now is the time to persue other companies for the product.

If you start to get SALES on your product, do press releases, make updates and upgrades, and try to get as much press as possible. Go on Tech TV shows and promote yourself. Once you become a NAME your idea now becomes a hot property and people will pay you for it.

At no point in time should you EVER think that you are going to make money overnight by making a patent. I learned that lesson the hard way.

Answer 2

If you tell them about your idea without having a patent for your idea and a non-disclosure agreement, you have basically put your idea on the 'public domain' that would make it unpatentable and give them the right to use it at will. You would screw yourself up twice.

Get a patent then and only then seek companies to commercialize it.

Answer 3

it extremely is in elementary terms a warning which you would be extremely careful, and touch a patent lawyer. I gave an theory to a organization upfront and that they got here out with the product --- nuts to me! discover all techniques possible to furnish your self with protection, and wait and notice.

Answer 4

No, get your patent first or they will steal it. then approach them with your product and make them give you a fee for each one they sell.

Answer 5

U can go to a meeting with them first than decied it later are u really going to sell it or keep it . I think if they offer a good price than why not !?