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Does anyone have a suggestion for good books or other resources on patents for startups and inventors? It seems like most things are “do it yourself” guides or texts for attorneys that don’t have the right focus.

We are in the process of developing a set of wearable devices and want to know how to properly protect ourselves before we file a patent application and how to structure a patents to make our company more attractive to investors. We get it that working with an attorney is important, but want to get as much background info as possible without being “on the clock” and ideally some tips on how to make patenting more cost effective in early stages given that our budget is limited at this point.

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The standard patent book for startups and entrepreneurs is Patents Demystified. I used this book while getting my own patents and it’s become required reading for any start-ups that I coach or invest in. It’s one of the few patent guides I know of that has detailed insight on how legitimate startups patent their product(s).

Unlike most patent guides, it’s actually written by a practicing patent attorney that has experience with startups, which makes a huge difference. It has great insider tips on how to make patenting cost-effective for early stage companies without compromising on protection or turning off investors, which is why I like my companies to use it. Plus, the content on properly using patents in PR and marketing is extremely helpful in making a new company stand out from the crowd.

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    Agreed. I’ve been using Patents Demystified while getting my patents and it has been extremely useful. Helped me find a good patent attorney to work with and protect my app before the provisional patent application was filed. Definitely agree that its helped save money while working with my attorney. Like that it has a focus on startups looking to grow and get investors and is written to be easy to understand.
    – user15755
    Commented Jan 19, 2016 at 1:32
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Patents Demystified is indeed a great book for startups, entrepreneurs and inventors and was written specifically for this audience. In addition to teaching the secrets of how successful businesses get patents, it also helps save companies money where possible and points out where spending money is necessary. In fact, I require all my clients to have a copy of Patents Demystified when I am working with them.

In addition to being used as a guide to the patent process that patent attorneys give to their clients, Patents Demystified is also used in top universities including Harvard, Stanford and M.I.T.

EDIT

Poster is the author of Patents Demystified

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    Purchased and read this book--absolutely fantastic and FASCINATING.
    – J. Roibal - BlockchainEng
    Commented Jul 8, 2016 at 4:44

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