Quote:
Originally Posted by Josh69
Agreed, thus I do plan on meeting with an attorney before the first sale or meeting with any potential supplier or manufacturer.
If I give a buddy a prototype to test for free, does that become public domain if he uses it in public?
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This really depends on the product but, it sounds like you may want a provisional because your idea is not fully "cooked" (you are still developing the recipe so to speak). That is less than a $1000 if you do all the document prep.
If your buddy uses this in public it will not necessarily become public domain but ANYONE who sees it is free to apply for a patent if you have not first. It would be the same as if you posted a youtube video here of the product without an application on file. If you show it to people, get a confidentiality agreement (a good one).
You mentioned Protomold. I have used them for years for simple, 2 part "cut" molds. They do well with simple small parts for prototype development however their piece pricing is probably not good for a production part.
This is all generalizations based on speculation. Probably could give you better information if you would estimate how many of these things you intend to sell per year. A 100,000 pc/yr product is a completely different thing than a 1000 pc/yr.
You might want to consider writing a business plan. It's a good sanity check and you will need it if you intend to attract investors.