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Ask Slashdot: What Is the Best Way To Approach Big Companies With Your Product?
New submitter ily2013 writes: My family have invented a product that will prevent electrical related fires for homes and businesses. A patent has been filed and approved worldwide, which includes the United States. Now I would like to take this product, and ask Apple/Microsoft/Big vendors to see if they would be willing to integrate our product into their existing and future products, because we believe the product will truly change the way safety of electric/electrical devices are viewed. What is the best way to approach this? Should I start by cold-calling Apple/Microsoft/Big vendors? or send them a mail/email?
As the topic says: first get a lawyer.
Suppose some company does take an interest, they'll want to craft a contract that could potentially screw you.
If they decide to simply buy you out, you'll need one there too.
READY.
PRINT ""+-0
World wilde patents do not exist. You may have succesfully filed an International patent, which can be converted to one or more patent applications. Get professional advice to see what your chances of actually getting a patent are.
Well, it's not *impossible*, but it is pretty unlikely. If you have a patent in the US, it protects only
against infringement in the US. And when you say "approved", that's slightly unusual terminology.
If the patent was granted by the USPTO, then please say that (or alternately, the patent was "issued.")
The original description makes it sound as if the invention isn't really a stand-alone thing, but something
which needs to be "incorporated" into other, existing products. Is that right? Hard to advise you without
knowing a little more. Please post patent (or application) number.
I worked for a "very large computer company" (retired). I interviewed and hired many engineers.
I know of zero situations where we bought a design from an individual and developed the product. We bought companies but not individual patents from a person.
You may want to try Kickstarter or something similar. Or, attend a trade show and demonstrate the product and attempt to get a venture capital firm interested in the product.
and one of us will send it up the chain if it looks useful
Many corporations have policies that ban employees from looking at patents. If you look at the patent, you can later be found liable for intentional infringement. It is better to just ignore existing patents, and document your research, so you can latter show it was independently developed, and maybe invalidate the patent by claiming it was "obvious". If you really need to check existing patents, it is best to do it through a patent attorney who is not involved in R&D.
Many corporations will also refuse to talk to independent inventors. Most of their "inventions" are crap, and it just leaves the corporation open to a lawsuit if they do, or are already doing, something similar.
You wait N years for them to independently come up with your same invention, achieve market penetration, and sustain profitability. Then you sue them for $700 trillion.
I don't know why this is moderated "funny". This is actually a big money maker for independent inventors. Jerome Lemelson used submarine patents and other legal tricks, to extort billions from companies that independently developed the same ideas.