How to Bring New Product to Market?

Other commercial providers of derby and regatta related goods and services can show off their wares, announce new products and/or advertise their website. Members can also discuss derby and regatta products/services here as well.
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SlartyBartFast
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How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by SlartyBartFast »

Well, I have an idea. Of course I'm not going to share it as I am only in the testing phase. All I'll say is that it's a upgrade part for tracks that it seems no one has thought of yet.

But how can I best market my product? I'll announce it here on Derby Talk of course. I may try to interest track makers to carry the product or add it to their base offering.

What I'm really unsure of is how to bring the product to market without having someone simply copying it and selling it themselves.

Of course the idea is something that I think is so staggeringly simple and obvious. So that makes it really difficult to go public to improve my design or have it tested by others.

Then there's a part of me that feels bad not simply sharing with the community and doubting that my return will cover more than the postage required to send the product out...
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Darin McGrew
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Re: How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by Darin McGrew »

If it's truly new (no matter how "staggeringly simple and obvious" after the fact), then you can patent it. Of course, then you're left defending your patent when others copy your idea.

But IANAL...
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gpraceman
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Re: How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by gpraceman »

SlartyBartFast wrote:What I'm really unsure of is how to bring the product to market without having someone simply copying it and selling it themselves.
Well, you can always apply for a patent. However, it can take thousands of dollars to see the process all the way through and to keep up with the periodic patent maintenance costs. So, basically you need to be confident that you will make enough of a profit to cover those costs and then some. Since you are in Canada, I'm not sure if you would need to patent it Canada and the U.S.. The U.S. is, of course, the biggest market for such a product.

Otherwise, you just have to move forward and market it the best you can even with the possibility that someone may copy it.
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SlartyBartFast
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Re: How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by SlartyBartFast »

gpraceman wrote:Otherwise, you just have to move forward and market it the best you can even with the possibility that someone may copy it.
Putting up the money for a patent is somewhat onerous I'll admit. Probably wouldn't profit enough to pay back the costs.

In all honesty I wouldn't mind having people copy it on their own for use on their track. But I would hate to see it copied by a manufacturer.

BTW, my understanding is that patents are international in nature. Of course I may be completely wrong.
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Re: How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by gpraceman »

SlartyBartFast wrote:BTW, my understanding is that patents are international in nature. Of course I may be completely wrong.
I'm not sure on that either. I just know that the rules for applying for a patent are different in the U.S. than other countries. The U.S. gives you a one year grace period before you have to file for a patent on a product. Other countries do not recognize that grace period.
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GravityRacer
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Re: How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by GravityRacer »

Just to put a finer point on it...the patent must be applied for within one year of first public disclosure. You could work on a project internally in a company for more than a year (been there and done that), and you'd lose that capability during the development phase if the year was up. BTW, I didn't get the patent, but it was because the company only made two devices with the process. Pretty specialized, to say the least. It's proprietary, so don't ask.
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SlartyBartFast
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Re: How to Bring New Product to Market?

Post by SlartyBartFast »

If a product is in development and not public, you can take as long as you want...

Never heard otherwise.
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