How to protect your product idea

We talk to many people who have invested huge amounts of time and money in a new idea or concept, and some of them have been - to put it bluntly - ripped off by unscrupulous 'innovation consultants' who promise much, get paid a lot and deliver very little.

This scenario often involves significant expenditure on patents that are either indefensible or simply not required.

So, imagine our delight when we stumbled upon a website that is full of common sense advice on the commercial and legal aspects of inventing or designing a new product. 'A Better Mousetrap' was originally a book and is packed with practical advice on how to get a new idea to market. It has now been updated as an equally useful website. 

If you have an idea for a great new product and aren't sure exactly how to protect it and find out if it has the potential to be a success, it could be the best fiver you've ever spent.