Bold Inventor

J.D. Hosted Chris Brown of NorthStar Law Group based in Olympia, WA. We talked about formation and how important it is for inventors to secure protection on their inventions not just with patents, but by forming an LLC to hold their IP in especially if they are in a service based business. Chris went on to use an example of a dental practice and how the founder should house his/her IP in a separate entity (LLC was the example) apart from the dental practice, which would likely be a corporation. That way the individual inventors can monetize (license/sell) the rights to their IP cleanly and it is not entangled within the company owners. Furthermore, any lawsuits against the dental practice could not feasibly touch the IP assets, which are held separately. We both took a Bold Bite out of a youth inventor of the Measuring Shovel, which is a shovel with a built-in measuring tool to show how deep a hole is as you dig it. J.D. gave his opinion of the patent, highlighting how great it is that a minor can own a patent, that there is no age limit to filing. Also, J.D. went through the claims of the patent and was really surprised at how broad the rights were, with only three major elements to the utility patent. Chris gave his opinion on how the company structure should be, and some caution when it comes to taking on equity investors. We wrapped up the show after doing some live and preloaded questions form Avvo.com

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Have an invention or brand to protect? Or just curious about learning more? Download our FREE Inventor Kit here: https://keap.page/gw292/inventor-kit.html
DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.

J.D. and Matt talked with Nicole of The Law Offices of Nicole B. Erickson based in Portland, Oregon - she gave us some great insight on business formation and underlined an important tax law under the 2018 Jobs Act which allows sales of patents to be capped at 20% capital gains instead of potentially 37% taxation at the higher income levels. We also interviewed Karen Hwang, a business attorney based out of Chicago, Illinois - she gave us really good insight on what it takes to go to market and sell your product/service while keeping focused on protecting liabilities. She explained the basics of forming an LLC, and creating solid brand protection through trademarks before getting too far along. Nicole explained the different types of business structures including an S-corp and when it may/may not make sense to choose an alternative business structure. The four attorneys then critiqued the Boost Oxygen product as it was shown on Shark Tank. J.D. highlighted that the patent protection they have is not a utility patent, but instead is on the design of the mask/nozzle on the top of the canister. J.D. went on to talk about the timing of a patent and the duration of a design patent. The patent in this case will expire in 2 years - so it can take 10+ years sometimes to bring a product to market. Matt pointed out that Boost has only secured design mark protection, but seemingly has not secured any word mark protection yet. Nicole and Karen discussed the pros/cons of raising money or asking for equity or debt (loan) when starting up and what implications there may be.

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Have an invention or brand to protect? Or just curious about learning more? Download our FREE Inventor Kit here: https://keap.page/gw292/inventor-kit.html
DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.

🎙️ Imagine solving real-world problems at just 10 years old! In this special episode of the Bold Inventors Show, JD Houvener and co-host Matt Kulseth sit down with the brilliant young inventors of the Suppy Water Bottle, the winning invention of the National Innovation Challenge. These fourth graders didn’t just dream—they built a revolutionary product that keeps classrooms spill-free and pencils handy, proving that age is no barrier to innovation.

👉 What to expect in this episode:

• 🧠 The Power of Youthful Creativity: How Lily and Brynn turned classroom chaos into a brilliant, practical solution.
• 🚀 Behind the Scenes of Inventing: Discover the trials and triumphs of creating the Suppy Water Bottle, from glue mishaps to brilliant design hacks.
• 🌍 Competing on the National Stage: What it takes to shine at the National Innovation Challenge and why their invention caught everyone’s attention.
• 💡 Expert Tips from the Bold Team: JD and Matt share invaluable advice on patents, trademarks, and scaling your product to market.
• 🏗️ The Future of Suppy: How the girls are planning upgrades, new features, and even considering international expansion.

✨ Highlights you can’t miss:

• The creative process behind combining suction technology with a kid-friendly design.
• Role-playing their pitch to grab attention at competitions (and it worked!).
• The bold brand strategy that even impressed an experienced trademark attorney.
• How they tested their product’s strength—with a curious cat as part of the quality assurance team! 🐾

🎧 Whether you’re an inventor, entrepreneur, or simply looking for a dose of inspiration, this episode is a heartwarming reminder that great ideas can come from anyone, anywhere—even fourth graders!

Key Takeaways:

• ✏️ Identify the Problem First: The best innovations solve everyday frustrations.
• 💡 Collaboration is Key: How teamwork and combining ideas made the Suppy Water Bottle a success.
• 🛠️ Iterate to Innovate: Learn how testing, failing, and retrying led to breakthroughs in their design.
• 🌟 Build a Memorable Brand: Why the name “Suppy” is a masterstroke in creative branding.
• 🌍 Dream Big: From a school project to a potential business, their story inspires innovators of all ages.

Support the show

Have an invention or brand to protect? Or just curious about learning more? Download our FREE Inventor Kit here: https://keap.page/gw292/inventor-kit.html
DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.

J.D. and Matt discuss patent searching and trademark searching fundamentals. J.D. goes through his 5-step process for how to conduct a rock solid patent search.
They took a Bold Bite out of a shark tank pitch for "RokBlok" which is a audio record player that plays the music by just going around the record instead of requiring the record to spin. The inventor alleges to have invented this technology and told the sharks that he had filed a patent on it, but he forgot to do a patent search! We pulled up a sample video/audio of a device that used to do that back in the 1970s.
Matt wrapped up the session by answering a trademark question related to trade dress and a custom glass case company.

Support the show

Have an invention or brand to protect? Or just curious about learning more? Download our FREE Inventor Kit here: https://keap.page/gw292/inventor-kit.html
DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.

J.D. and Matt brought on a Bold Patents client, Terry Vance, owner of Blitz Lures and inventor of the "Live Foot" independent sonar transducer which solves the problem of not being able to see fish or look the way you want because all other transducers are dependent on the direction/facing of the trolling motor.
Terry walked the audience through his journey to get his patent and was happy to explain that he's invested in his patent portfolio by filing a child/continuation patent that is still pending. PLUS he's found an infringer and has begun enforcing his patent against them and they are using the pending application as leverage to cover a broader invention that more closely aligns to the infringers patent!
The three of us then critiqued a basketball ball net/retrieval system that was pitched on Shark Tank. The "Grind" product helps basketball players work on their shot by catching missed/made shots and returning the ball to the player instead of the player having to go get the rebound and waste time. JD briefly discussed that a utility patent is what he'd recommend going for, but it didn't see like Grind or any inventor had filed for the protection. Matt Kulseth couldn't find a trademark filing either - so the product looked good, but his IP was shallow or empty, not a solid footing to be on.

Support the show

Have an invention or brand to protect? Or just curious about learning more? Download our FREE Inventor Kit here: https://keap.page/gw292/inventor-kit.html
DISCLAIMER
Everything discussed on this podcast is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice.