How Soon Should I Patent My Idea?

Guest: Mark McCareins, JD, Clinical Professor of Business Law, Co-Director of the JD/MBA Program, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University Got a great idea for a startup? Some brilliant new software? Entrepreneurs often live on a shoestring and plow their savings into their projects. So, they may not place “get a trademark or patent” at the top of the to do list before, say, “building an app that works.” Besides, doing a patent right can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees. But, waiting too long to protect your ideas is a fatal mistake.