Not sure where to put this, so my bad if it’s in the wrong spot.
Here’s an off the wall question-
Let’s say you had an idea or two for some soft (tacical nylon or similar) gear- things that could potentially be game changers (or total flops, as it’s kind of a niche thing), but you don’t have the means to produce them yourself.
But you think it’s a good enough idea, where it’s worth looking into having it produced.
Let’s say you’re also not dumb enough to give away a good idea for free.
How would one go about looking into having it R&D’d or produced by a company that can do that, without losing out on a product you came up with fair and square?
Just out of curiosity…
(To clarify- this has nothing to do with my other thread looking for custom gear- two completely different topics here)
im NOT an attorney, BUT if you can come up with engineering type drawings and what not you should be able to file for a patent to protect your design. Then when you shop it around if somebody blatantly rips it off you at least have the protection of the patent. I dont know how long patents take and if a “patent pending” would hold the same legal water that a full patent holds.
Thanks RJ- per pat. pending, a fellow I know is working on a certain AR accessory, and I know it was something he made sure he had on the thing before taking it to SHOT. So it must have some merit.
Anyway, in a bit of circular happenstance, was looking at EGL’s facebook page for my other gear thread, and saw they had a writeup on this sort of thing.
Long story short- have item prototyope made, try to find interested party, perpare to get your ass kicked in the process… :laugh:
Many companies won’t want to deal with outside ideas, as they don’t fully control the design, and the value of the concept is generally less than that of running it through the process to full production.
The only products that I thought of that actually reached production were those done for free, with no claim on my part to any part of the revenue generated by the items or control of the design.
If you think it’s that good of an idea, do some prototypes, figure out how to make it, how much it will cost to make it, what similar patents exist, and grab a patent.
Then, make it yourself or get someone local to do it for you. If funds are a massive challenge, hit kick-starter or something similar.
actually, i haven’t been in this exact situation before, but i’d definitely try to protect your IP - maybe by getting some sketches/drawings dated and notarized. also, if you talk to a gear company, make sure that you have a contract in writing that states that if they turn you down, they’re not allowed to use it. it’s difficult, too, because a gear company can look at your idea, and easily say ‘we’ve been working on the same thing’ and now they have an idea and you have nothing. nylon gear ideas are difficult to patent. it’s expensive and may end up costing you more than you’ll earn on your idea.
i don’t have personal experience in this exact situation because i’ve always been approached by gear companies - i haven’t had to solicit them. but one thing i’ve learned is to have all agreements in writing. discuss royalties up front etc.
Where I work our employer holds 100% rights to whatever any employee “invents.” I had a couple really good ideas over the years, but when I heard that (and confirmed the best could happen was my employer would be partial-owner), I tucked my ideas into a drawer in case I leave. Something about intellectual property and all…truthfully, I never really understood all of that. Make sure you proceed with caution and protection.
I just sent Blue Force Gear a message on Facebook with what I wanted them to make. It was anything new though, just not something I could find in the configuration I wanted which is why I wasn’t worried.
You do know that if you did ANY work on that while at work, and I mean sketches in a book at your desk type stuff even, per your agreement it’s their legal property and you could get hosed.
I made it a serious point to not even bring my laptop to work on personal projects while at a former employer with similar agreements. I din’t even want the temptation to work on things.
Maybe I can help. I’ve worked on the production company side of this equation a number of times.
From the company standpoint, this presents challenges to them as well. Here are a few:
Customer sends business an idea that is well intentioned but impractical for whatever reason. Company says “no thanks” and/or offers constructive criticism and the customer takes offense. “I sent Company A an idea and they told me it was stupid and they were a-holes about it” is more common than you think. The customer is often pretty attached to the idea (they thought enough of it to seek validation) and they don’t often take the criticism well. Lose/lose for the company.
Customer sends business an idea that the business is already working on. Now, if/when they release that product the customer claims “Business XYZ stole my idea and I have emails to prove it!” It is impractical for businesses to tell customers what they have in R&D, so this barrier must be edged upon slowly and carefully.
Customer submits idea that business likes. Business naturally takes on a lion’s share of risk, development cost, production cost, etc. Customer is offended at the monetary offer for the idea (be it a cash payout, royalty agreement, or combination of the two). Many customers don’t fully understand what it takes to bring a product to market, so having a handle on that ahead of time would be beneficial.
If it were me and I had an idea that I think the market could use, I would reach out to companies with good reputations and in very vague terms begin to slowly describe what it is I am looking for. Before the final “revealing” takes place there should be NDA’s on both sides and some form of working agreement on how to proceed if the idea has merit. Get everything in writing.
