Marine Engineering firms
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Hello there! My partner and I are considering filing a patent for an idea that we had. This would be to cut down on seaweed harvesting costs. Does anybody know structural marine engineers who would be able to work on this with us in exchange for future equity? They do not need to be in any state specifically, as long as they're in the US. If you share a name, and you happen to have their contact information and/or opinions on them, please send me a pm!
Have a great day!
@paul_20241009190957797 @clifford_goudey ?
@paul_20241009190957797 Hey, Paul. Toby tagged Cliff Goudey in his response. Cliff chimed in on your other post about the weight of seaweed in water. He's a good resource and has worked on some harvesting platforms with kelp farmers.
Paul, the two tasks - 1) getting a patent and 2) refining the design through proper engineering analysis - are not as related as you might think. Patents are granted based on novelty and making a clear distinction between your ideas and the current state of the art.
Your first step would be to apply for a provisional patent, which is very affordable and protects your idea for 12 months. At that point you could apply for a non-provisional patent; a more expensive proposition, but by then you'd know if the cost and effort are worth it.
By doing this you can more comfortably discuss your ideas with seaweed farmers, engineers, and potential funders. There's no point in spending a lot of money on detailed design and engineering unless you can get some clarity on if the market wants what you have to offer. Feel free to reach out privately at cliff@cagoudey.com.
@clifford_goudey Thank you so much for your input!! I will be contacting you soon!
@paul_20241009190957797
OK 3rd time
Research
https://youtu.be/kkBuxIMW8XE?feature=shared
There are many seaweed Harvesters out there.
I'm looking at a single line Robotic unit. Not going to patent it. I don't have $Ms to defend it. And one change and it a new harvester. You patent is only stopping others from coping the exact patented item. People can build and use for self, just can't sell it commercial.
Better to design, build and sell them in the market. If it good, others will buy.
Research it first. I'm sure others are designing or have design something. It's a growing industry.
Cheers,
Craig
@craig_lewis Thanks! I am not sure what you mean with 3rd time?
@clifford_goudey Thank you so much for your input!! I will be contacting you soon!
@craig_lewis Thanks! I am not sure what you mean with 3rd time?
@paul_20241009190957797 3 times writing a reply. I hit a button or back arrow the screen and lose all that I wrote. Lol
Just sharing some insights
@craig_lewis ehehe it happens! Thank you for persevering!
@craig_lewis ehehe it happens! Thank you for persevering!
@paul_20241009190957797
I am not a patent attorney, but I am a systems engineer who has looked at the patent process in the United States, possibly to patent my own work.
If you're willing to shell out some money on a book just to start to understand the process (which is vastly cheaper than running up hours on lawyers, especially patent lawyers) and other very important questions related to business law (like how to select a lawyer in the first place), you might like the book The Entrepreneur's Guide to Law and Strategy by Bagley and Dauchy. I personally have liked it, but it's a slog.
That said, my sense is that the new ruling coalition (as in the people now in control of the US political system) are going to alter things considerably, including by breaking up the near-"monopoly" that Delaware has had on incorporation, so whatever is written in this book will be subject to change.
To tie this into GreenWave a little bit, in their recent video on their seed bank and kelp nursery, the GreenWave folks (if I understood correctly) mentioned the potential issue of corporations patenting the genetics of various kelp strains, which is just 1 of the many concerns I have heard about how the patent system has uh worked. In other words, at this point in time, it seems like there is a broad base of popular support for loosening the corporate hold on patents which many interpret as having become abusive, stifling innovation & free/fair economic growth.
My goal in writing this isn't to convince anyone to support this, that or another political group, but to give you a "heads up" about what might be coming down the pipeline for US intellectual property.
@stephen_lowery Thank you very much for your input! This is actually very useful stuff to know!!!
@stephen_lowery Thank you very much for your input! This is actually very useful stuff to know!!!