What would YOU do if you invented the best board game in 25 years, and you didn't have the $5-8000 needed...

Question

to complete the patent application. Although the patent search was finished, and encouraging?

Answer 1

I would self-publish the board game or find a publisher who is accepting prototypes.. because YOU DO NOT NEED A PATENT for board game.

The game YOU designed is under copyright via intellectual property laws.

Answer 2

i am not sure,i guess i would go with sueing like Emily S.

Answer 3

I would pay a lawyer to draw up a nondisclosure agreement and start looking for an investor, or I would hire a broker to present the game to a game company.

Answer 4

You may not need a patent but you should at the very least register your copyright and any trademarks with the US Copyright Office. This way if someone does infringe on your IP you can receive monetary damages. If you don't register all you can do is get a stop order on the infringement.

Seek the advice of a lawyer. Don't take what people say here as golden.

Answer 5

Get a credit card and pay for it with that, because if it's truly the best board game in 25 years you will easily make your money back to pay off the credit card(s)!

Answer 6

dunno honestly

Answer 7

I would first try to find a way to get the money myself - take on another job - and make the money that way.   Have a big yard sale, sell stuff on ebay - whatever I had to do if I really believed that my product was a money-maker.  

I might look for an investor, but keep in mind that if the investor believes in your product most likely he will want to buy a controlling interest in your product, and you might not want to give that much away.  Take a prototype to demonstrate and start making contacts to show your game to business people in your area and find someone who is interested.  Check in your area for special programs for new entrepreneurs.  In Canada we have a relatively new TV program called Dragon's Den - new inventors present their product to several well known business people asking for investment money - check for options like that in your area.

Answer 8

Sell it via PDF thru Steve Jackson Games:

http://e23.sjgames.com/

Answer 9

1. You don't need a patent.

2. How do you know your game is so good? Build a prototype and playtest it with people who will give an honest opinion, NOT your friends & family. People who know you tend to be to nice about giving negative feedback.

3. You don't need a patent.

4. 'The best game in 26 years'? You think it's better than Settlers Of Catan, Puerto Rico, Power Grid, Age Of Steam, and Ticket To Ride?

Have you even HEARD of these games?  You might wan to go out and play some modern games before you make a coment like that. Or are you just comparing your game to c**p like Sorry, and Life?

5. You don't need a patent.

6. Once you've playtested your game, you'll need to know which publishers accept unsoliceted game submissions.

You can find a list of publishers here:www.boardgamegeek.com

7. You don't need a patent.

8. If your game gets published you would be lucky to earn back the $5000 you spent on the patent application.

9. You don't need a patent.

Answer 10

Check out the patent section of legalzoom.com, they have provisional patents for $199 and Design Patents for under $1000.  Link to the appopriate page is in the sourse list below.

Answer 11

I Would sue and get my money.

Answer 12

There's a show called American Inventor.  The company takes your idea, does the patent search, makes a prototype, tests the proto type, gives you the option of names and makes it into money making product.  

Though it is not stated on the TV show, I'm sure that American Inventor gets a % of the profits.