Are there disadvantages to filing a patent?
Yes. I would say it bears considerable forethought and planning to decide if you want to get in the patent business, because just getting a patent, which gives you the right to stop people from making, using, or selling your patented invention, doesn’t come easy. It doesn’t come quickly. It’s not inexpensive. They don’t last very long. If you get a patent, you must be prepared to defend it, and patent litigation is a very expensive and complex thing to get involved in. While if you get a patent on your dog bowl, you have a monopoly, but you best be prepared to defend it against Alpo.
