I have a number of patents in various stages, and you need to
understand why it is risky to disclose anything before your patent is
issued.
With the information contained in your Patent application, whether it
be a Provisional or Formal application, a number of negatives for
your are possible:
1) Someone could go off and 'do' what you are proposing, you will have
no recourse till patent approval
2) Someone could design around your patent, meaning figure out how to
perform your invention without violating your IP
3) Possibly box you in or somehow find something you forgot and file a
patent for it, precluding you from moving ahead
The assumption is that you may change what you are doing in process.
I have one that I filed a Provsional and now a Formal, and we still
have not completed the Claims yet. The short answer is that there is
risk in disclosing the details to anyone, and the real risk
for this broker are dependent on your contractual relationship with
them and their overall honesty. My preference with disclosing my
inventions is to prepare 'marketing' material, so as not to give
anyone the patent text. Just a preference, consult an attorney. |
