Ask an Expert

Search legal, business, IP, technology, funding and other questions

Do you have a question about your invention or intellectual property?
Search the questions or post your enquiry to one of our experts via Directory.
(User questions are no longer posted publicly on this page.)

  • Using another website's design?
    Copyright We want to use another website's design for our own. Is it legal to do this or are website designs protected as IP somehow?
    Answers: 1 Views: 1822 Likes: 2
  • design patent for 4-yr-old design
    Patents We would like to market a device the design of which we developed about four years ago. At the time, we sold one device in a 'private' sale and gav...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1744 Likes: 0 United States
  • Does it pay to get a patent?
    Patents A friend tells me that technology patents are not really useful for web-based startup companies. Either the patent office doesn't grant patents for...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1660 Likes: 3
  • What is the best disclosure strategy after a patent application?
    Patents For a startup based on a new technology, it looks like a common business strategy is to apply for a patent and then keep the technology a secret fo...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1526 Likes: 6 United States
  • Should IP be in the company's or my name?
    Business strategy I am negotiating a deal with a friend who is CEO of a small software company about a software system I've created. She is very trustworthy in my ey...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1521 Likes: 4 United States
  • How can we sell/market-test an invention before patenting it?
    Patents We would like to sell or market an invention before we file a provisional patent in order to test profitability, market readiness and such. Is this...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1670 Likes: 4 United States
  • Track 1 patent filing
    Patents What are the pros & cons of filing a patent application under Track 1?
    Answers: 1 Views: 1460 Likes: 4
  • Is it infringement if some steps of a method patent are performed outside U.S. territory?
    Patents Hi! I'm interested in how far a method patent reaches when some steps of the method are performed beyond U.S. borders. If I offer my customers in t...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1254 Likes: 6 United States
  • How high are the risks of being sued by a patent troll?
    Patents For seed funded startups in the social media sector, how often do you come across cases where a startup is being sued by a patent troll? Is the fac...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1091 Likes: 1 United States
  • Software patent search
    Patents What is the best way to start a software patent search? We have been developing our product for a while, and I'd like to get an idea of what the la...
    Answers: 1 Views: 1514 Likes: 2