Can anyone help with what to do with an invention i came up with a few years ago...ive been testing it ever since the rattle bag came out way back when...and now i see theres something simular to it on the market,,,mine sounds way better and i think works better..do i have to get a patten to be able to let guys try it for advertizeing.i cant say the simular item for sale stole my idea but it shure is funny how close they kinda are...these guys have way more money,,,so i think its just a coincidence...any help

I believe it cost a lot of money to get a patent and do the research and everything. I know my brother in law tried it and he ended up spending 10K and never took it to production.

Do the guys with the similar product have a patent ?

My company uses worldwide patents in NC. It does cost between 5K-10K depending on how much research you have done and can prove. Your patent writeup is essential if you want it defended in court. I have several, and have had to defend them before. Just because you even get a patent, doesn't mean your out of the woods. Patent office is so overwelmed, they will give out a patent for about any halfbutted writeup. They leave it up to you to fight it out in court.

Sometimes when we are called to defend a multimillion dollar patent, its really about numbers. We might have 50 patents on a process, they might have 100. All simular. They win.

Your journey really starts with if you believe it in enough to pursue with all your passion and back it up with hard work and lot$-O'-Money.

Getting a patent is not where it starts, but to search to see if there's a patent or patent pending that is already what you had in mind. This you can do yourself, but there are patent researchers out there you can pay for as well.

iSnipe

Absolutely not. In fact, the odds of someone trying your product, then coming up with enough nerve, ambition and the money to copy/steal your idea is astronomical. I wouldn't sweat it.

I suggest if you want to proceed, is to open your wallet and come up with a working proto-type first, then work from there. You are going to have to get enough feedback to see if it does really work and outperform other products to give it a chance. Just because it "sounds" better or that it works better for you, isn't enough for the masses to purchase, IMO. Your positive feedback and testimonials will do that.

Good luck,

iSnipe

Is this what you have done?

Take a picture of you product and send it in a letter to yourself cert. mail. That way you have proof of when you had the idea.
I would be very willing to test your prototype.
Grant