Submitting product designs to large companies

Never submit product designs or ideas unsolicited to a company. Doing so opens the door to potential problems for all parties involved. Find out who might receive the designs and in what form.

Your first line of protection is to never disclose any proprietary information without an appropriate confidentiality agreement in place.

Protect specific product designs with trademarks or patents, or file a patent disclosure in anticipation of a patent. The first-to-file date usually prevails in patent applications. Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Website (www.uspta.gov) and/or consult a patent attorney for the specifics.

A simple way to establish your priority is to mail yourself a certified letter describing your product in detail; it's also called a "poor man's copyright." Do not open the letter except in court defending your claim. This document becomes dated proof of what you had in mind before you presented your designs.