When Should You Protect An Invention?

The development of a new product or a new process is rarely easy. From the challenges and concerns raised during R&D to the difficulty of finding suppliers and convincing investors, there are many obstacles that need to be overcome.

Bringing innovation into being can be more like navigating a raging torrent, than journeying along a calm and relaxing river. But, somewhere in the midst of this journey, creators and inventors also need to find time to protect their inventions with patents. This is an important step when it comes to safeguarding innovation, keeping competitors at bay and reassuring investors.

When should you file a patent?

To answer this, we must first consider the two conditions of patentability; in other words, the legal requirements that will be examined by patent offices when deciding whether or not to grant a patent on an invention. These two conditions are: novelty and sufficiency of disclosure.