How can I stop a patent attorney from stealing my idea or invention?

How can I stop a patent attorney from stealing my idea or invention?

Profiting from an idea or an invention has never been easy. And even though the internet has made it easy to market and sell products, there are a lot of copycats lurking around every corner waiting to pounce on your idea or invention.

Sure, one of the best ways to avoid your idea getting copied is by patenting it. This, however, involves sharing the idea with an attorney and working with them to get your invention patented. So, how sure are you that your patent attorney won’t steal your idea?

Well, if you are fearful that your invention or idea will be stolen, you are not alone. Most people who come up with great ideas and inventions are usually afraid, or at least, concerned when sharing their ideas with other people. In this post we will dispel any doubts that an attorney would be interested in stealing your idea or invention.

So let’s get started!

Can a patent attorney actually steal my idea?

Well, they could but probably won’t. And here are four reasons why;

• They are bound by rules of ethics

  Attorneys are bound by rules of ethics and state laws when serving clients. Patent attorneys have a legal and ethical obligation to maintain confidentiality of their client’s information and everyone who contacts them for patent advice. Therefore they cannot reveal your information without your consent. If they do, they’ll be risking their reputation, being fined or even losing their license. Not to mention, you can also go after them with a lawsuit.

• Risking their Livelihood

  By stealing your idea an attorney would be throwing away their fruitful career for an invention that only has potential to be profitable. Considering a large number of patents don’t make money for the inventors, it would be unwise for the patent attorney to risk a career they’ve worked so hard to achieve for something that might not be profitable.

• The moral aspect

  The patent attorney-client relationship is one of trust. Clients come to their attorneys trusting they get help in obtaining a patent for their invention while the attorney promises to act in their best interest while pursuing the patent. Stealing the client’s idea would not only break this trust but would also shine a light at the attorney’s bad moral character. This would eventually hurt the attorney’s reputation and knock them out of business because no one would want to get their services from a morally corrupt attorney.

• They actually wouldn’t even obtain the patent

  A patent attorney would not even be able to patent from your invention since they are not the actual inventor. Patents are issued to initial inventors. It would be unlawful for an attorney to declare they are the inventor if they did not contribute to the idea or invention. Therefore, if the patent lawyer were to steal someone else’s idea they would not be able to get a patent on it.

Takeaway

The odds of losing your idea or invention to patent attorneys are very slim if not close to none. The risk of stealing an idea also outweighs the benefits that a well done patent will bring to your business. so, you shouldn't be worried about losing your idea or invention to a patent attorney.

However, if you are still concerned, we recommend picking an attorney that you feel comfortable with. One you can establish a relationship with and work towards filing for a patent together.

If you have any questions about this topic or any other, feel free to contact us at Miller IP Law. We are always happy to help! Good Luck!

Miller IP Law is a firm that focuses on small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs/solopreneurs. We’re easy to use. We offer affordable pricing that’s transparent and flat-rate. We focus on the little guys who actually need our help. If you’d like an attorney on your team, simply schedule a Zoom call, and we’ll take care of the rest.

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