| I wouldn't worry too much about the expensive suits and roomy offices. When we were first bootstrapping (no investors, angels or the like, just some money scraped together) the first thing we spent money on was (expensive) legal advice, mostly because we knew it was the only thing we needed right then that we couldn't teach ourselves quickly enough. If you're still in startup mode, the following two questions should help you make the decision: - do I need it right now? - can I spare the money right now, if not: can I make a deal with my IP attorneys where they agree to bill me later? (just think about the money you need to spend the coming couple of months, the total estimated cost over 20 years is completely irrelevant at this point) If both questions are answered with a 'yes', do it. Because if you need it right now, it doesn't matter how inconvenient the distraction from working on your product is right now, as a founder you'll just have to deal with it. And if you don't need it, don't do it, because I'm sure you can find some other thing you need to do 'right now'. Don't let the idea that you already spent money on the provisional patent cloud your judgement about whether you should put more money into this. If you can't come to a rational decision, and the prior expense is what pulls you over the fence emotionally, it's probably better to cut your losses. Good luck, these kinds of decisions are hard, especially deciding whether you 'need' something. That's something only you can assess, it could help to get a second opinion from another IP attorney, preferably one that doesn't have a financial incentive to sell you on going for it. - Dirk |