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HOW A “CAVEMAN” PATENT CAN AFFORDABLY SECURE YOUR INVENTION

It's been 10 years since I wrote this.  Back then, the biggest change in patent law in my lifetime took effect.  And it changed everything. The big change was that patent rights for an invention go to the first to file a patent application, not the first to invent (who has documents showing he invented it first).  This means that if you show a new product at SHOT, anyone can rush off and file a patent application on it.  Unless you can prove in court that they learned it from you (easier said than done)- they win. You lose.  Not only do you lose the chance to  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | November 8, 2022 | Firearms, Firearms Industry Advice, How To, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

WHY ELON MUSK HATES PATENTS

And why you should too, if your business is just like his. I’m a Tesla Fan-Boy, and that means I’m a SpaceX nerd and am occasionally accused of being an Elon Musk worshipper.  So I couldn’t miss Elon’s appearance on Jay Leno’s Garage, where Elon gave Jay a tour of his SpaceX launch facilities down in the very southern tip of Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico right on the Mexican border.  The story was about the SpaceX giant Starship rockets that have 2.5 times the power of a Saturn V, and the cargo capacity of a 747.  The boosters are designed to be launched,  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | October 4, 2022 | Firearms | 0 Comments Read More »

HOW A “LIFEBOAT” KEEPS YOUR PATENT RIGHTS AFLOAT

...saving money until you are ready. Sometimes a topic is important enough to revisit after a few years. This one reexamines the frequent question of how to “extend” a provisional patent application beyond its natural 12-month life. My readers all know that the smart start for a small inventor or a new company with an invention to protect is a Provisional patent application. For a low flat fee of $1500, and with my personal guidance, templates and coaching, we earn First-to-File “Patent Pending” status by filing an inventor-created document that I review and  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | September 1, 2022 | Firearms, Intellectual Property Advice, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

THE COOLEST THING I’VE EVER OWNED

(And Why Republicans Need to Erase their EV Blind Spot) Fun in the "Frunk" Sometimes, new technology is so disruptive that it becomes a magnet for attention, even to those with no actual need or interest in the technology.  Lately, I notice widespread curmudgeonry from some of my smart and perceptive friends and clients in the firearms community on social media.  A startling number of people like us are suspicious of or even hostile to electric vehicles (EVs).  There seems to an anxiety among level headed- conservatives that these newfangled devices are there to  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | August 3, 2022 | Business, Humor, Opinion Pieces | 0 Comments Read More »

WHY YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED A PATENT SEARCH

And the Key Signs that Indicate When You Do I love to give advice, especially when I know my prediction will never be wrong.  My favorite advice is to predict a 50-50 chance of success.  Because no matter the outcome, I’m never wrong. My other favorite is recommending a patentability search.  Because no matter the results, my client is happy.  If we get “good” news, and nothing is found that blocks patentability, my client is happy.  If we get “bad” news, my client is grateful they have the disappointing information before making a bad investment  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | July 1, 2022 | Intellectual Property Advice, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

GOING ABROAD WITH YOUR PATENTS

When Foreign Patent Protection Makes Sense for Firearms Inventions (The answer is “Probably not, unless…”) As an inventor myself, I know the enthusiastic feeling that your invention is going to be an incredible success, and wouldn’t it be a tragedy if you had only the US market protected and the rest of the world was knocking off your invention willy-nilly without paying you a penny.  Unthinkable, right? But good business decisions are about costs and benefits, and in most cases there’s a big difference between the US patent decision and the International  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | June 1, 2022 | Intellectual Property Advice, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »