It’s a good idea, but is it patentable?
06.03.2026
Every great invention starts with a good idea. But not every good idea is an invention, and not every invention is patentable.
Understanding the difference can help innovators make smarter decisions about when and how to protect what they are building.
The Spark:
An idea is the spark. It may be a concept, a wish, or a general solution to a problem.
For example: “Wouldn’t it be great if pigs could fly?”
That may be a good idea, but it’s vague and undefined. It doesn’t explain how the pigs would fly or how flying pigs would be different from anything else that flies without wings, such as humans in airplanes.
An invention gives the idea structure. It explains the solution in more detail.
For example: “I created a method of enabling pigs to fly by attaching power blasters to their hooves, which would propel them into the air.”
Now we are moving closer to something that may be patentable because it has specific features, functionality, and purpose.
Patentability
Generally, a patentable invention needs to be new, useful, and non-obvious.
- New means your invention is different from anything that already exists anywhere in the world. Just because you have never seen it does not mean it does not already exist in another product, patent, article, or industry. This is why patent searching and landscape analysis are important.
- Useful means your invention has a real purpose, whether to provide practical value, improve an existing solution, or solve a problem. It does not have to be perfect or commercially successful, but it does need to do something.
- Non-obvious means the invention can’t be predictable variation of something that already exists or an obvious combination of existing solutions. The question is whether your improvement reflects a meaningful and unexpected difference.
Strategy Matters
This is where strategy matters.
A product can be marketable and still not be patentable. A business idea can be valuable and still need a different form of protection, such as a trademark, copyright, trade secret, or strong brand strategy.
The goal is not always to “get a patent”, it’s to protect the value of what you are building.
Not every idea needs a patent – but every valuable idea deserves a strategy.
The Poinsettia King
12.12.2025
The Rise and Fall of the Paul Ecke Ranch
The history of the Ecke Ranch is a perfect depiction of the benefits and risks of relying on trade secrets to protect your business. A trade secret is confidential business information that gives a company a competitive advantage over others. Unlike patents and trademarks, trade secrets do not have a formal registration process, but companies must take active and reasonable steps to maintain their secrecy.
Serendipity
04.03.2024
discovering Something Good Without Looking For It
To quote Jeff Bezos, ”There’ll always be serendipity involved in discovery.” So, keep innovating and experimenting, you never know what you may find.
John Henry-ism
09.07.2023
It’s a real thing.
“The classic tale of man vs. machine. John Henry won the race but died in victory with a hammer in his hand. [1],[2]” He literally worked himself to death.”
AI & the Mental Health Crisis
05.15.2025
The Illusory Effect At Work
In recognition of National Mental Health Awareness month, let’s explore three ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) is impacting the mental health crisis by enabling early detection, personalizing treatment plans and reach more people than ever before:
INNOVATION & IMPACT
Part I – Crash Testing
October 20, 2022
“Diversity of thinking and experience is essential to advancing technology. Inventors must not only think outside of the box but look at the box from various perspectives.”
Part II – Automatic Devices
05.23.2023
“We must consider, employ, and engage people who do not look, live, or behave the same. It is imperative to the evolution of technology that we be more inclusive. . .”
Part III – Cauliflower Rice
01.25.2024
According to Harvard Business Review, companies who have leaders who possess both inherent and acquired diversity traits out-innovate and out-perform other companies[ii].
Part IV – It all starts at 45
10.02.2024
The thing is…45 is when things start to get good for women – or at least it did for me. At 45, we enter a space of empowerment. The fear of judgment diminishes, and we become more confident and secure in our identities.