Inventor advisor

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An inventor consultant offers advice for applicants and owners of property rights such as patents , utility models , etc. as well as for founders with protectable product and business ideas. The tasks of an inventor adviser range from informing the inventor during or before the patent application to patent research to the preparation of patent applications and the exploitation of the invention .

In the case of university inventor advisors or advisors from chambers of commerce or inventors' associations, the patent application is often the subject of advice. With commercial consultants, the focus is often on the marketing of an invention, as they refinance the inventor consultation through a participation on a success basis.

term

There are different names for inventor advisors, such as patent exploiter, patent marketer , invention exploiter or patent marketer from the English "patent marketing".

Protected professional title in Germany is only the patent attorney , not the patent engineer .

qualification

In general, the job title inventor consultant does not require proof of special professional qualifications. This professional field is not protected in Germany. A special feature is the additional qualification of an engineer to become a patent engineer or other professional groups as a patent officer, which can be acquired at some universities. In countries like Austria, an inventor consultant usually falls under the GewO § 29 and has to meet the requirements of a management consultant .

Elements and goals of an inventor advice

An inventor advisor covers the questions of a first inventor. The aim of the consultation is to enable the inventor to assess his invention in order to decide whether at all and, if so, which method of exploitation can be taken.

Private companies that offer inventor advice often aim to be involved in a successful product. This participation reduces the costs for the inventor and motivates the consultant. In this case one speaks more of patent marketing, a branch of inventor advice.

Voluntary advice

Voluntary advice is offered by various organizations and companies such as universities, chambers of industry and commerce and private individuals. The content of the time-limited and free advice is usually only the question of whether there is a patentable invention and the formal requirements and the costs of a patent application.

United States and Great Britain

In the United States and Great Britain, where the number of inventor advisers and patent marketers is far higher than in continental Europe, the national patent offices draw up lists by which one can recognize reputable advisers.

A free translation of a UK checklist:

  • First, look for yourself in free databases to see whether the idea already exists
  • Is a free initial consultation offered?
  • No details of the invention without confidentiality agreement to pass
  • Try to find out the cost of each step up to the license agreement or patent sale as early as possible
  • Questions for references
  • Ask how long the company has been in this area
  • Beware of the promise to have had the really big idea (3 out of 100 inventions succeed in entering the market)
  • Demand evidence of contacts with producers or licensees.

literature

  • Michael Wagner, Wolfgang Thieler: Guide for the inventor: from the task to the idea to the patent. Springer publishing house. Berlin and Heidelberg, 3rd, expanded and updated edition 2007. ISBN 978-3540720423 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fred Lehmann, Anne Schneller: Patentfibel. From the idea to the patent. Hanover, 2002.
  2. ↑ Patent marketing overview of German providers, Deutscher Medien Verlag, accessed on August 5, 2020.
  3. ↑ Inventor Advice RWTH , accessed on August 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ Inventor Advice University of Regensburg, accessed on August 5, 2020.
  5. ↑ Advice for inventors at the Cologne Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  6. ↑ cf. Inventor advice centers in Baden-Württemberg. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  7. ↑ Checklist for inventors. A suggestion for a critical review of your own idea. Inventor Advice Baden-Württemberg, accessed on August 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ cf. Inventor advice leaflet of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce, as of March 2019.