Beware who you talk to

If you feel the need to talk to someone
before you apply, such as a potential
business partner, you should ask them
to sign a confidentiality agreement
before you talk to them. This means
they have to treat what you tell them in
confidence. A solicitor or patent attorney
can prepare this type of agreement for
you.
Any conversation you have with patent
attorneys, solicitors or our staff is
confidential, so anything you say will
not count as revealing your invention
early.
During the application process, you
may be contacted by an invention
promotion company. If you are, be very
careful what you agree to.
The basis of a UK patent is a legal
document called a ‘specification’. Its
content decides not only whether a
patent can be granted, but also exactly
what the rights of any patent granted
cover.
You can prepare a specification and
apply for a patent yourself, but if you do
not know a lot about patent issues, you
should use a chartered patent attorney
or other professional advisor with
the skills needed to assess whether
your idea is appropriate for patent
protection, and who can prepare an
application for you. Patent attorneys
are legally qualified and independently
regulated, and some will give you initial
advice free of charge. So, make sure
you are well prepared before any initial
consultation. There are other patent
advisors, consultants and inventorsupport organisations who may also be
able to help or advise you.
We are not allowed to recommend
any particular patent attorney or
other adviser. However, a list of
patent attorneys is available from the
Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys
most classified directories
list local patent attorneys.