Several factors have to be considered before one hires a patent lawyer or a patent agency. The patent attorney should have a decent reputation. This can be verified by viewing a few of his or her previous cases. Cost is an important aspect, especially under today’s economic climate. Nonetheless, one should not worry too much about this factor.

A good patent lawyer can ensure that the invention yields rich rewards in future. The internet is a good place to find reputed patent attorneys, since most of them have an online presence these days.

The education of the attorney may also be taken into consideration. Generally, a patent lawyer should have a science degree to be eligible for the bar exam. Additionally, the science degree should include a difficult lab course such as thermodynamics, biotechnology, physics, engineering or organic chemistry. More importantly, they have to pass the state bar exam after obtaining a degree in law.

Considering the sheer volume of patent applications filed each day, one can easily find a relative or friend who has used the services of a patent attorney or an patent agency, such as InventHelp. Their advice and opinions may also be considered before choosing a patent lawyer.

Protecting the secrecy of an invention, a proprietary idea or trade secret information is very important. For example, a U.S. a patent will not be awarded if the invention was publicly disclosed more than one year before the filing of a patent application. In foreign countries, the term may be significantly shorter or none at all.

Also, a confidentiality agreement can be used to identify which party has contributed which elements of an invention. Importantly, Confidentiality Agreements or Non-Disclosure Agreements are legal documents that limit or prevent the disclosure of the information and should be taylored to your invention or proprietary ideas by a licensed attorney.

A Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) or Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is what most think of when they imagine a secrecy agreement. A CDA prevents the disclosure of secret information. A CDA can be used to protect the secrecy of an invention or trade secret information. CDAs can be taylored for one way or two way transfer of confidential information as described in this http://www.sfweekly.com/sponsored/why-inventors-turn-to-experts-like-inventhelp/ post.

A proper CDA should identify the subject matter of the confidential information, any exclusions, the duties of each party, the term of the agreement and corresponding remedies.