Foreign Patents can be procured in all civilized countries, but should be applied for only after the most careful study as to whether they are likely to prove profitable to the inventor. We are inclined to say it is the exception when they do.
"Rules of Practice" issued by the United States Patent Office contain the following in regard to the importance of care in the selection of an attorney:
"As the value of Patents depends largely upon the careful preparation of the Specification and Claims, the assistance of competent counsel will, in most instances, be of advantage to the applicant; but the value of their services will be proportionate to their skill and honesty, and too much care cannot be exercised in their selection."
"Before you spend much money, either your own or any one's else, be sure (1) that your invention will work; (2) that no one else has patented it; (3) that there is an opportunity for its sale; (4) that there is not too much competition. Many a man starts off and orders a fancy nickel-plated model, and applies for his patent, only to find that the idea will not work even the least little bit. In this matter the advice of some one else well up in the theory, added to that of some one else well up in the practice, would be valuable."
"Many an application done up in all the bravery of typewriting, notarial seal, and all that, has been rejected like a bad penny for the very simple reason that some one else had before patented the idea, or something enough like it to bar out the newcomer. It is cheaper to have the ground gone over first by a preliminary search by a competent person even before the application is written out."