Will a patent attorney steal my idea?
Many inventors are very protective of their ideas – as well they should be. There are a lot of unscrupulous people and even some unscrupulous businesses. While I can’t speak for other patent attorneys, I can speak for myself.
I make a living helping inventors protect their invention. I take my duties as a registered patent attorney very seriously. And this includes the duty of confidentiality. I would never violate an attorney-client confidence. And I would certainly never steal an inventor’s idea.
That being said, however, it is important to remember that you should never discuss your invention in detail with an attorney until you have formed an attorney-client relationship with that attorney. An attorney-client relationship is typically established by signing a Fee Agreement with the attorney. You should never email details of your invention to a patent attorney before both you and the attorney have signed the Fee Agreement. That way, there can be no misunderstanding that attorney-client confidentiality will apply.
