I have a great idea for an invention that is going to make me a millionaire. How would I go about patenting this idea so that no one else could copy me?
yea you need a lwayer for that... the lawyer will guide you step by step to get it copyrighted by also helping you fill in government forms and etc...
I guess if your idea is going to make you a millionaire you should not think much about the money you spend. If you don't have that kind of money you need to be 100% sure its not an already existing idea - go ahead and borrow the money. I had an idea and I thought I had invented something and I did so research online and after 3 days of research I found it was already existing. So do your research well before you spend that kind of money....which country are you from? I can than give you some websites where you can find some info on the process and fees for patents. Good Luck
Ideas are not patentable. You need to talk to a patent attorney and have a working prototype made (or proof board). It probably would be a good idea, if its not yet developed to have a diagram drawn and send it with the form and $100 to the USPO office, for a 1 year provisional patent. During that time, develop a working model and THEN it can be patented with proof that it does what it says and differently than anything else on the market. That patent costs around $500 and is lifetime. Hope that helps.
Prices will vary depending on how straight forward it is and how many countries you want to patent it in. You can save money by doing some initial leg work trawling through all possible current patent holders who may be considered close to your idea - just because there is nothing in the market that is similar doesnt mean someone hasnt already patented the idea but just havent produced the end product