PrePatent PrePartnering Wisdom exists for one reason: to help good inventions reach the people who need them, without the inventor losing the project along the way. We believe the smartest commercialization decisions are made before a patent goes to market, when there is still time to set a realistic strategy for the industry and to choose a committed partner rather than wait to be bought out.

Our mission

Our mission is to share modern, practical wisdom about patents and partnering with inventors, investors, industry leaders and government decision-makers. We want more inventions to cross the gap between a granted patent and a real product, and we want the people who created those inventions to share fairly in the result.

Commonly cited estimates suggest that only a small percentage of patents ever achieve commercial success. In our view, many of those that fail were not bad ideas. They were good ideas launched with the wrong plan: a strategy that ignored how the industry actually works, who controls the route to market, and what it truly costs to defend a patent against a well-funded competitor. We explore those causes in depth in why most patents fail commercially.

Our core message: before going to market with a patent, set the business strategy realistically for your industry. Where a major player controls the market, look for a suitable, intrigued and committed major partner when the project is ready, instead of striving to be attractive for a takeover.

The story behind the site

This website was created by Amnon, a retired businessman and inventor. Like many inventors, he learned the hard lessons of commercialization first-hand: how much work separates an idea from a working prototype, how difficult it is to be heard by large companies, and how easily an independent inventor can be outspent.

Amnon served as the first lobbyist for the regional inventors society in his Canadian province. In that volunteer role he met with leaders from government, industry and education, including the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Those conversations gave him an unusual view of the innovation system from several sides of the table at once: the inventor who needs a fair chance, the company that needs reliable innovation, and the public institutions that write the rules.

From that experience came a series of proposals prepared for Federal and Provincial governments and for the USPTO. Among them were the “Pre-patent Registry and silent Trading-Post” proposal, which imagined a discreet, trusted way for inventors and potential partners to find each other before full public disclosure, and the “Super Economy” concept, which looks at how patent policy can encourage real growth by helping more inventions reach the market. You can read more about these ideas in Super Economy: patent policy for growth.

Amnon is a Canadian now living in Israel. This site brings together the lessons, proposals and perspectives gathered over that journey and presents them in plain English for anyone who wants to commercialize an invention wisely.

Handwritten page of the 1474 Venetian Patent Statute, the first codified patent law
The Venetian Patent Statute of 1474 set out the original bargain between inventors and the public.

What “Pre-Patent Pre-Partnering Wisdom” means

The name describes a sequence of decisions, each made earlier than most inventors expect:

  • Pre-Patent means thinking about the business before, and alongside, the patent. Who will make the product? Who will buy it? Which companies dominate the field, and how do they normally treat outside inventions? These questions shape what you should patent, where, and when.
  • Pre-Partnering means identifying and preparing for the right partner before the product reaches the market. The inventor’s company searches for a suitable, intrigued and committed major partner when the project is ready for market, rather than building a startup mainly so that a dominant company will want to acquire it.
  • Wisdom means combining old principles with modern realities. The original purpose of patents still holds, but the market, the technology and the legal system have changed, and an inventor’s plan has to reflect today’s conditions.

Pre-partnering is not the only path. If you are confident in your market, have the resources, and are not threatened by IP piracy or infringement, going to market alone or with an investor can make good sense. Our aim is to help you choose deliberately. For a full walkthrough, see the Pre-Patent Pre-Partnering strategy guide and our comparison of startup-to-exit versus pre-partnering.

The original patent mandate

Our thinking is grounded in the original patent mandate: the Venetian Patent Statute, passed by the Venetian Senate on 19 March 1474. It is widely regarded as the first general patent law. The statute offered a simple bargain. Anyone who built a new and ingenious device in Venice, not previously made there, could register it once it was reduced to practice so it could be used, and others would be barred from copying it for ten years without the inventor’s consent.

The purpose was practical and public-minded: Venice wanted inventors to bring useful devices to the city, to put them to work, and to be rewarded for doing so. Protection was tied to real, working inventions that served the community. We believe that mandate is still the best test of any patent system: does it help genuine inventors turn their work into useful products? Explore the history in The Venetian Patent Statute of 1474 and on our patent history timeline.

From that starting point, this site also offers a critical perspective on how modern patent systems have evolved, including changes at the USPTO since the 1980s, the America Invents Act of 2011, and the role of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. These are offered as analysis and opinion, to help independent inventors understand the environment they operate in.

Our values

Realism first

We encourage strategies that fit how an industry really works, not how we wish it worked. A realistic plan protects your time, money and invention.

Fair partnership

We favor partnerships where the inventor, the investor and the industry partner each bring something real and share fairly in the outcome.

Confidentiality

We respect the fragile early stage of an invention. Confidential details should be shared only under an appropriate agreement and at the right time.

Plain English

Patents and partnering are complex. We explain them clearly so that inventors, investors and officials can make informed decisions.

Respect for history

The original patent mandate still offers guidance. We draw on centuries of innovation history to make sense of modern choices.

Honest perspective

We share opinions openly and label them as such. We do not promise outcomes, and we always recommend qualified legal advice for specific cases.

Who we help

Inventors

Independent inventors and small inventor-led companies who want to move from idea to prototype to market, and who need a clear plan for protecting their work and finding the right partner.

Investors

Investors who want to understand the real commercial prospects of an invention, the strength of its position in the industry, and how a partner-first strategy can reduce risk.

Industry

Established companies looking for reliable outside innovation, and for fair, well-structured ways to evaluate and adopt inventions without unnecessary conflict.

Governments

Policy-makers and public institutions interested in how patent and innovation policy can help more inventions reach the market and strengthen the wider economy.

Whichever group you belong to, our services and free resources, including the Invention Readiness Check and the glossary, are designed to give you a practical next step.

Our sponsoring corporation: Superior Hulls Inc.

PrePatent PrePartnering Wisdom is sponsored by Superior Hulls Inc. (Canada/Israel), a maritime innovation company. Superior Hulls is developing a new science of controlled collision between solid bodies and fluid bodies, using “injected air” under hulls to improve economy, performance, comfort, safety and speed.

Superior Hulls is itself following the pre-partnering path: it is seeking a wise major maritime partner to bring its technology to market. In that sense, the sponsor lives the message of this site. Learn more at superiorhulls.com, or read our background article on air lubrication and ship hulls.

The ideas on this site are part of a wider body of work. Two related websites explore them for specific audiences:

An important note

The content on this website is educational and reflects our experience and perspective. It is not legal advice. For decisions about filing, claims, agreements or enforcement, please consult a registered patent attorney or agent in your jurisdiction. See our disclaimer for details.

Let’s talk about your invention

Whether you are an inventor preparing for market, an investor weighing an opportunity, or an organization looking at innovation policy, we would be glad to hear from you. Please do not send confidential invention details in your first message.

Contact us