Lay people, and even inventors holding several issued patents, can sometimes look at the process of filing for and obtaining patent and trademark protection and come to the conclusion that this can be a fun, weekend, do-it-yourself project. After all, there are books that purport to teach the basics of filing, software that generate applications based on a series of questions presented to the would-be inventor online, and there are many websites offering low-cost off-shore services. All in all, the process looks very manageable and doable, sort of like walking through a beautiful rose garden. But intellectual property law is not a rose garden. It’s a mine field. […]