# S4E36 Wes Schwie| Intellectual Property

- Show: [Being an Engineer](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer)
- Published: 2023-09-22
- Length: 37m
- Episode: 36
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property
- Listen: https://teampipeline.us/wes-schwie-intellectual-property/

## Summary

Wes Schwie, founder of Gallium Law and co-founder of Innovelis, explains the critical importance of intellectual property protection for inventors, emphasizing the low cost and strategic value of filing provisional patent applications early. He details how provisional applications establish a priority date and provide a 12-month window to test the market before filing a non-provisional application, while warning against public disclosure that could jeopardize patent rights. Schwie also discusses the legal nuances of patent rights, specifically the right to exclude others rather than the right to practice an invention, and offers advice on selecting experienced patent attorneys over cheap services.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=0) Introduction and Wes Schwie's Background
- [3:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=187) Engineering vs. Patent Law Careers
- [11:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=705) The Importance of Provisional Patents
- [16:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=970) Protecting Against Counterfeits and Infringement
- [21:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=1284) Understanding Patent Rights and Licensing
- [24:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=1475) Choosing a Patent Attorney and Costs
- [30:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-09-22-s4e36-wes-schwie-intellectual-property#t=1829) Personal Life, Comedy, and Wellness

## Topics

- [Intellectual property](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/intellectual-property)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Founder wellbeing](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/founder-wellbeing)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Gallium Law (company)
- Innovelis (company)
- Apple (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Alibaba (company)
- Concept2 (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [#046 - When not to start a startup - how to license your idea (Part 2), with Stephen Key of inventRight, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2018-01-17-046-when-not-to-start-a-startup-how-to-license-your-idea-part-2-with-stephen-key) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [71: Dirty Your Mindscape](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2014-10-08-71-dirty-your-mindscape) (Embedded.fm)
- [105: Patenting Physical Consumer Product Inventions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-12-08-105-patenting-physical-consumer-product-inventions) (Product Startup)
- [#044 - When not to start a startup - how to license your idea (Part 1), with Stephen Key of inventRight, USA](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-hardware-entrepreneur/2017-12-20-044-when-not-to-start-a-startup-how-to-license-your-idea-part-1-with-stephen-key) (The Hardware Entrepreneur)
- [229: Overview of Patenting for Hardware Startups](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2024-06-07-229-overview-of-patenting-for-hardware-startups) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

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