? Legal/Patent question

Hi all,

I just have this little project, hoping to convert it to a business some day. I was told I should start with patenting it first, which is outrageously expensive for me Has anyone delt with that, any ideas/advice?

t.y.

Start here:
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1413301800/

This seems to be a good resource also:
http://www.benwiens.com/patents.html

An interesting note at the second link:
"In Canada, few Canadians apply for a Canadian patent before the US Patent. This is partly because it takes many years to obtain a Canadian patent after filing an application whereas it usually takes less than a year to get a US patent."

I've looked into patents a number of times and have paid for lawyerly advice as well! You really have to decide why you want a patent; in general, unless you have a very specific process tha you want to patent, and something that is not considered "common knowledge", nor "obvious" your patent won't be worth much. The other small tidbit that I've always used as a guideline, is - will my competitors be large multinationals - and if so, am I ready to fight? Remember a patent merely provides you with a means to establish your claim; large organizations are notorious for simply steamrolling over smaller organizations that simply don't have the funds for a prolonged legal battle. Most lawyers have told me (when I've pushed), that some organizations will quite happily ignore your patents!

That being said, if you're dedicated, it can be fun.