Yes, some ideas can be patentable, but not all ideas. Some ideas might be better protected by trademark or copyright protection, while others might not be protectable at all. For example, this blog post explores the basics of what differentiates patentable and non-patentable ideas and gives suggestions on how to determine whether a given idea might be patentable:
patentsdemystified.com/are-ideas-patentable/
Getting a patent is a great idea to protect your idea. You can apply for a patent online www.InventionHome.com.
It's called a "patent" :)
Yes, but as soon as the patent is granted, you can no longer use the idea.
There are many companies out there that will tell you how to get a patent, however, most are scams. You can apply for a patent with the US Patent Office at www.uspto.gov.
There are many ways one can find out about information on obtaining a patent on an idea. This includes obtaining the help of a patent attorney or asking in forums.
The U.S. has a 'working provision' patent law that requires you to exploit a patent or forfeit the patent. Second, patents are really expensive.
Apply for a patent on the idea. You can check with a patent attorney, or Google "Patents", which should steer you in the right direction.
Legalzoom.com is a great website. It doesn't teach you how to patent your idea, but it will help you to get the patent. It guides you through the entire process.
If you have an idea for an invention, you can try to patent it. This is a complicated process and is not free, so you should consult a patent attorney. In parallel you should build a prototype to demonstrate the idea. Once you have a patent, you can try to sell the idea to a company that produces similar items, or start your own company.
If you didnt patent your idea then yes they could steal the idea if they wanted to and nothing could be done about it unfortunately .
Yes, you can sell your idea without a patent. A patent is a right granted by the government to exclude others from making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing your invention. You do not need to have a patent in order to sell your idea. The purchaser may desire to file a patent. You may also decide to protect your idea using trade secret laws (like the recipe for Coca Cola). Please be sure to use a non-disclosure agreement when discussing your idea with a potential purchaser. You do not want them hearing your idea and then exploiting it on their own.
You can typically patent an iPhone application. However, keep in mind that you cannot patent an idea but you can patent software.Review the US Patent and Trademark information and it should help: see related link