Before you share an invention, pause here.

Start with the disclosure plan

A launch presentation, exhibition or online demonstration can reveal more than intended. WIPO explains that public disclosure before filing may affect whether patent protection is available; exceptions differ between jurisdictions. Do not assume a grace period will preserve every option. WIPO: patent FAQs.

Make a short internal brief

Before our first discussion, write down the problem you are solving, what you believe is different, the people involved and the next planned disclosure. Add the markets where the product may be made, sold or licensed. You do not need to paste the confidential technical solution into the website form.

A useful starting question is: what would another engineer need to know to reproduce the useful part of this invention? That helps frame the later technical discussion without assuming that every product feature should become a patent claim.

Keep the business decision in view

Patent work should be connected to the product plan. Ask which features matter to your competitive position, what information can remain internal, and who needs to approve the next step. A patent search and a commercial freedom-to-operate assessment answer different questions; agree what the review is intended to address rather than treating every search as interchangeable.

When something has already been shared

Keep a record of what was shared, when, with whom and under what conditions. Raise it promptly in the discussion. Whether it affects a filing requires an assessment of the facts and relevant jurisdiction, not a general website answer.