You have a great idea for a brand-new product, one you are sure will change the world — and make you rich in the process. But before you can move forward, you need to protect your intellectual property, and that means getting a patent.

You have spent an enormous amount of time, money and energy to create an invention you think will change the world. You have scoured the internet and local stores looking for examples of your proposed product and come up empty. You are 100% certain your idea is novel and new, and that the concept is entirely your own.

As a creative professional, you have a responsibility to protect your intellectual property and your financial rights. Whether you are an author, a designer or some other form of creator, it is important to know how patent and copyright law work.

From the wheel to the telephone to the automobile, inventions have been changing the world since the dawn of humankind. In the modern world of the 21st century, inventors are still making waves and changing society – and getting rich in the process.

People have been inventing things for thousands of years and people have been investing in things for about as long. Inventors have been creating new inventions for the consumer market for about the last 100 years or more because of the growing consumer market. In the last 50 years there has been an explosion with the population and its needs and wants for making and buying things that are less expensive, easier, faster, and better.

As the 21st century gets into full swing, the value of intellectual property has never been greater, and the line between traditional products and digital ones has never been thinner. Whether you are an inventor, an entrepreneur or a business owner, you need to take patents and patent infringement very seriously.