KickstarterForum.org

I have a great product in perfectly working prototype. I have not found anything like it on the market and I should know because I need it every day and I see others like me every day dealing with the same constant need. As I watch them struggle with the problem I can solve, it is all I can do to restrain myself from a 5-second demo that would give away the game.

But that is not the same thing as saying there are not plenty of sources supplying a product that accomplishes the same thing. They just do not do it as well or cheaply as mine.

I need funds to patent it and register a trademark. How can I do a Kickstarter or similar campaign for those funds without inviting the current suppliers of similar but inferior products to copy me?

Is there some other form of protection you can get in the meantime? In Europe you can register your idea and register a design without having to get a patent or trademark until you have the funds.

I am not aware of that concept and a quick review of the US Trademark web site does not mention it. But it a great idea. OMG, we here in the US are not doing everything best and first?

If anyone has some advice on how to deal with this issue for someone in US, I will appreciate it. I'm surely not the first one to want to raise funds to cover the expense of filing a patent and register a TM.

If you are in US - you could file for a provisional patent - it will give your idea 1 year protection. Provisional patents are cheap (about $265) and take about 4-6 weeks to approve.

To further reduce your cost, you could also apply as micro-entity status or small entity status, if applicable. For a person filing as a micro-entity, the patent cost is reduced by 75%. Please make sure you read rules and regulations before applying as a micro entity.

Hope it helps!

Great! I'm glad there is an option in the US. It has been very helpful to have another option in here in Europe.

Kerry

Thanks for the tip!

Start out with the provisional patent for one year to at least get some kind of protection as mentioned by @aarushi2001. The longer you wait, the sooner someone else might come up with the idea and patent it.

P.S. It now costs about $1,000+ for a provisional patent plus attny fees if you're using one. Not cheap these days.

so, that means my question just changed to, how do I crowdfund to pay for a PROVISIONAL patent without exposing my design?

sheesh.

That's a tough one. We just did a patent on a product and the fee alone to uncle sam was $1k plus attorney fees. All these fees have gotten out of control and really squeeze the little guy. But if you think you have the best idea and it isn't patented yet, that's probably the way to go unless maybe just TM your product name? There are lawyers online that sometimes give free advice on this stuff.
So, did you do a thorough patent search on this to make sure it hasn't been patented before?