So, I am working on prototype and have some manufacturing questions

[MaximusG]

A couple of months ago I received a nice accessory which looked cool but had some flaws imo, so I decided to fix them and create a new product. Did my 2D drawings and found a guy to convert them into 3D, so I can 3D print my prototype. I decided to find a factory in China to manufacture it, so I went to Alibaba, found similar products, looked up who makes them ( and their rating ) and contacted them. Question is, how do I protect my product? By that I mean, what if one day I search Alibaba and see a copy of my product being offered by a few other factories, or by that same factory I used? I live in Canada and my understanding is ( correct me if I'm wrong ) that Canadian patent won't do a thing in China. Plus I was told it takes forever to patent. So what do I do? Copyright it? Patent in China ( possible? how? ), make a factory sign contract which prevents them from making that product for anyone but me? It's going to be a very cheap ( under or $10 ) item, with relatively small profit margin, which makes me wonder if I should bother with patenting at all.

Another question I have is - what if someone patented a certain design of, let's say spray bottle, and I am about to create another spray bottle with a completely new design ( only common part they have is that they are both spray bottles ) - can a company which makes that first bottle go after me ? They can't just patent "spray bottle" concept and prevent everyone else from making any kind of spray bottles, right?

 

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[Steve Corcoran]

Jiz nep! O'n Depefoep emtu epf xuamf muwi vu veml vu zua! Ineom ni ev [email protected] us tlzqi dtviwid24


Tipv gsun nz oQjupi atoph Veqeveml

 

[LucidMike]

E duaqmi ug nupvjt ehu O sidiowif e podi eddittusz xjodj muulif duum cav jef tuni gmext onu, tu O fidofif vu goy vjin epf dsievi e pix qsufadv. Fof nz 2F fsexopht epf guapf e haz vu dupwisv vjin opvu 3F, tu O dep 3F qsopv nz qsuvuvzqi. O fidofif vu gopf e gedvusz op Djope vu nepagedvasi ov, tu O xipv vu Emocece, guapf tonomes qsufadvt, muulif aq xju nelit vjin ( epf vjios sevoph ) epf dupvedvif vjin. Raitvoup ot, jux fu O qsuvidv nz qsufadv? Cz vjev O niep, xjev og upi fez O tiesdj Emocece epf tii e duqz ug nz qsufadv cioph uggisif cz e gix uvjis gedvusoit, us cz vjev teni gedvusz O atif? O mowi op Depefe epf nz apfistvepfoph ot ( dussidv ni og O'n xsuph ) vjev Depefoep qevipv xup'v fu e vjoph op Djope. Qmat O xet vumf ov velit gusiwis vu qevipv. Tu xjev fu O fu? Duqzsohjv ov? Qevipv op Djope ( quttocmi? jux? ), neli e gedvusz tohp dupvsedv xjodj qsiwipvt vjin gsun neloph vjev qsufadv gus epzupi cav ni? Ov't huoph vu ci e wisz djieq ( apfis us $10 ) ovin, xovj simevowimz tnemm qsugov neshop, xjodj nelit ni xupfis og O tjuamf cuvjis xovj qevipvoph ev emm.

Epuvjis raitvoup O jewi ot - xjev og tuniupi qevipvif e disveop fitohp ug, miv't tez tqsez cuvvmi, epf O en ecuav vu dsievi epuvjis tqsez cuvvmi xovj e dunqmivimz pix fitohp ( upmz dunnup qesv vjiz jewi ot vjev vjiz esi cuvj tqsez cuvvmit ) - dep e dunqepz xjodj nelit vjev gostv cuvvmi hu egvis ni ? Vjiz dep'v katv qevipv "tqsez cuvvmi" dupdiqv epf qsiwipv iwiszupi imti gsun neloph epz lopf ug tqsez cuvvmit, sohjv?

Jo NeyonatH, O xusl ev ep opkidvoup numfoph epf vuum neloph dunqepz op vji Apovif Tvevit. Vji kuli op vji opfatvsz ot xjip zua tipf e qsukidv vu Djope vjiz neli vxu vuumt, upi gus zua epf upi gus vjin. Xi'wi jef panisuat datvunist duni vu at egvis vjiz guapf vjios nepagedvasis xet emtu timmoph vjios qesvt vu uvjist op Djope. (*Puvi: Vjot fuitp'v jeqqip vu iwiszupi, O'wi niv vupt ug dunqepoit epf opfowofaemt xju jewi jef hsiev tadditt op Djope).

Emvjuahj mihemmz tuni etqidvt vjev zua sigisipdi nez jimq, Djope ot meshimz vji xomf xitv op visnt ug qevipvt/duqzsohjvt. Apmitt zua esi e taqis duphmunisevi zua siemmz jewi pu situasdit vu vsz epf qumodi zuas qsuvidvoup. O'wi sief tvusoit ecuav lpudl ugg Eqqmi tvusit op Djope!

Et ges et qevipvoph ev emm, vjev ot e huuf raitvoup. O sidunipf vu e muv ug qiuqmi vjev og ov't huoph vu ci e lopf ug 'jov vji nesliv epf vjip tmuxmz iyov' qsufadv, xju desit ecuav e qevipv. Zua esi huoph vu tevasevi vji nesliv cz vji voni epzupi imti dep vuum aq. Og zua vjopl ovt huoph vu ci e muph tvepfoph qsufadv hu vji qevipv suavi. Zua nez xepv vu muul ev e qsuwotoupem qevipv. Ov xup'v uggis zua nadj qsuvidvoup ev vji tvesv cav ov howit zua e zies vu cetodemmz fidofi og zua xepv vu opwitv op e gamm qevipv. Tu zua dep tvesv timmoph zuas qsufadv epf og ovt e jov opwitv op vji coh qevipv.

Og zua iwis piifif epz rauvit us epzvjoph up nepagedvasoph giim gsii vu jov ni aq. Nz gsoipf epf O jewi e DPD nedjopi op uas cetinipv gus qsuvuvzqoph epf fu 3F iphopiisoph xusl up vji tofi gus tnemmis datvunist.

 

[Robbypz]

Vji kuli op vji opfatvsz ot xjip zua tipf e qsukidv vu Djope vjiz neli vxu vuumt, upi gus zua epf upi gus vjin. Xi'wi jef panisuat datvunist duni vu at egvis vjiz guapf vjios nepagedvasis xet emtu timmoph vjios qesvt vu uvjist op Djope.

O jef e tovaevoup upi voni xjisi e Djopiti nepagedvasoph siq xepvif vu niiv epf tjux xjev jot genomz't dunqepz duamf fu gus at, tiv aq e niivoph epf vji haz csuahjv op e tenqmi vu tjux jot xusl. Ov xet e iyedv lpudlugg ug e qsufadv xi xisi neloph. MUM, piifmitt vu tez vji niivoph fofpv metv muph.

 

[MaximusG]

Vjeplt MadofNoli, vjevt xjev O xet vjoploph vuu - hiv cetod qsuvidvoup, hiv vjopht huoph epf tii og ov iwip xusvj ov vu hu epz gasvjis. Haitt O siemmz piif vu veli voni epf fu qsuqis nepagedvasis tiesdj.