Affordable Patent Agent

It's hard to express just how disgruntled I get with the number of "invention mining" companies that end up ripping off the average inventor.  It's really remarkable how saturated the industry has become with these patent attorneys and agents that are out to exploit inventors who don't know a lot about the patenting process.  They have little to no interest in actually helping secure the idea.  Honestly, many are primarily concerned with getting paid to file the patent and then move on to the next one.

People ask me all the time then, who can they trust when it comes to safe-guarding their idea?  Well, the first thing I always say is be as informed as you can be about the patent process.  Here are some great websites I recommend for informing yourself:

• U.S. Patent Office - link to an overview of the patent process, directly from the U.S.P.T.O. web site. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but take a little time to review it.
• IP Watchdog - a very informative site covering many aspects of patent law.  There are a lot of opinion pieces there as well regarding patent law.

I would highly recommend familiarizing yourself with the process.  As for where to actually get your patent filed, I have a few recommendations:

• Affordable Provisionals - this is a great place to get started because these are very reasonable prices for a provisional drafting and filing.  Many inventors like to start with a provisional patent application to begin securing the idea.  These guys do quality, affordable work.
• BSKB - this is a highly acclaimed IP firm that has a lot of experience.  They are certainly not inexpensive, but as they say, you get what you pay for.  In this case, you get excellent patent strength and protection.

The bottom line is, look out for yourself, because a lot of "affordable patent agents" or attorneys do not have your best interest in mind.

- Mitch