The Importance of IP Protection v. The Cost of IP Protection

In 1826, an English chemist named John Walker invented the friction matchstick by sheer accident. A stick coated with a chemical composition ignited when inadvertently scraped across the hearth in his house. Walker’s discovery evolved into the friction matchstick made from wood and the matchbox we know today. He packaged and sold his revolutionary invention from his own pharmacy. Against the frequent urging of others, Walker refused to patent his invention even though he was ostensibly a man of means. In 1829 in London, an opportunist named Samuel Jones duplicated Walker’s matchstick and started his own line of matchsticks. Billions of matches are used annually today, but Walker never enjoyed the financial windfall he would have reaped if he had patented his invention.

Circa 2003, an inventor named Telford Thornhill III approached a patent attorney with the idea of a touchscreen e-book that would eliminate the need for students to carry multiple books, pagemarks, and page highlighters. This idea was the precursor of the iPad, Kindle, and the like. Even though Microsoft had a tablet PC out at the time, it did not have the functionality of Thornhill’s invention. He was passionate about the idea, but at the time his conviction greatly exceeded his financial resources. Prosecuting a patent application with a conventional law firm can cost thousands of dollars. The typical independent inventor does not have the disposable income to pay for a properly drafted patent application. Pro se applicants often meet a myriad of roadblocks they are not equipped to maneuver and often leave their inventions exposed and ripe for pirating. Even as a patent troll, Thornhill stood to make millions if he had patented his idea.

The mission of My IP is fueled by the desire to offer quality IP services at a fraction of the costs, thus affording the average entrepreneur, inventor, or artist the opportunity to protect the creations of their mind and reap any financial windfall from those creations.

Two inventors. A century apart. One with means who did not think it was important to properly protect his invention. One with limited resources who could not afford to properly protect his invention. The latter is particularly troubling to me because I am the patent attorney that Telford Thornhill III approached. That story haunts me to this day. The mission of My IP is fueled by the desire to offer quality IP services at a fraction of the costs, thus affording the average entrepreneur, inventor, or artist the opportunity to protect the creations of their mind and reap any financial windfall from those creations. Being proactive about protecting your intellectual property now will save your immeasurable time, money, and litigation in the future.